Lost friend reunited
by yohnagirl4eva
Summary: An old friend is back in touch and it takes the x-gang down to New Orleans. What happens when something, or should I say, someone, catches up with Rogue. My first x-men fanfic so let me know what you think. r r
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the x-men. Not matter how much I wish I did. Especially Remy *drools*

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

It had been over a year since Professor Xavior had managed to communicate his message that it was possible for humans and mutants to live together in peace, after all, there hadn't been much of a problem until Magneto had outed them all. With the peace in place, mutants could walk free, although there was still the 'polite' request to try and look as normal as possible, to blend in so to speak. The peace was still in its early days, until it had been there for a great many years, no one would relax too much, but Xavior had managed to persuade Sinister and Magneto and other such mutant terrorists that they should give this peace a chance as it would equal a better world for everybody. They agreed, grudgingly, and so the terrorist teams disbanded, most of them getting normal jobs, although the Brotherhood joined forces with the X-men, still loving the adrenaline rush of a fight, although they weren't too thrilled about the school part. Neither was the new principal, a Mr Gordon. He seemed nice enough to Rogue and the others.

About Rogue. . .well, she wasn't so much of a Rogue anymore. She'd gained control over her powers a few months ago and now she could hardly stop smiling, it was almost as though she were a different person. She had a lot more friends than before, but Kurt, Kitty, Wanda and Tabby were still her best friends and the people she went to when she needed advice. Of course this meant that Logan had knocked his protectiveness up a gear as well, sniffing around her as soon as she walked through the door to find out if any guys had been bothering her. She just laughed at him mostly, and whilst she found it annoying, she knew his heart was in the right place.

But her personality wasn't the only thing that had changed. Now that she was able to touch, she didn't need to keep people away with the goth look, so she wore clothes that she wanted to wear, and her makeup was next to nothing now. Needless to say, she was stunning, the biggest heartbreaker in their year to be exact.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Rogue turned over, and smacked her alarm clock, hoping that would shut it up. It did. slowly, she dragged herself out of bed and towards the ensuite bathroom in her and Kitty's room, there'd been complaints about the length of time the pair spent in the bathroom, so they had been moved so that they had one of there own. They thought it was great, they both made sure they showered early, that way they could be sure that they would get all of the hot water whilst the other lazy bums were asleep.

Rogue had just finished washing her hair and was stepping out the shower when she heard the Professor in her heard, and from the startled cry outside the door, so did Kitty.

"X-men, please report to my office as soon as possible."

Rogue sighed, 'just another day in crazy town.' She thought to herself.

She quickly dried her hair and walked out of the bathroom, only for Kitty to rush in. Raising an eyebrow Rogue turned and shouted through the door, "you know you betta hurry up, because 'ahm leaving when ah'm ready, and if you're going to get all spruced up we could miss the Prof's speech altogether,"

"You are, like, so not funny Rogue. Besides did you want me to, like, wet my pants?"

"EW." Rogue recoiled at the very thought. Moving away towards her wardrobe to find something to wear. You would have thought they'd be rushing, what with the Prof's announcement and all, but nobody really rushed anymore unless the Professor told them to hurry or hasten themselves. Digging through her new wardrobe of clothes, Rogue picked out a pair of dark blue jeans, an emerald green halter neck tank top, and her favourite green ballet pumps. After dressing (she had put her underwear on in the bathroom) she moved to her dressing table and picked out a matching set of jewellary for the day, the main colours being blue and green. The set consisted of a pair of dangly earrings, a pendant necklace and a large cuff bracelet. She gave herself the once over in the mirror before turning to Kitty, who was just putting in her earrings, the pair having gotten their ears pierced together for Rogue's birthday last month.

After attaching the back of the earring Kitty gave herself the once over, eyeing her ensemble, to make sure it looked ok. She was wearing a dark denim skirt and pale pink tank top, and she had a set of flurescent pink studs in her ears, and a bright pink bangle on her wrist that Kurt had brought her for Christmas a couple years back. Deciding that she was ready she turned to Rogue, smiling, and recieved a small smile in return.

The pair were the last ot enter the Professor's office, most of the others sitting there in the pajamas. Rogue found it hard to keep from laughing at Scotts sky blue flannel pajamas with little duckies all over them. As she looked around the room she saw she wasn't the only one trying not to laugh, almost everyone else had goofy smiles on their faces, as though they were trying to hold in their laughter. Well, being Rogue she couldn't resist, she walked towards an empty seat, "nice jamies Scott," she told him as she sat down. That did it, everyone cracked up, even the teachers were guffawing behind their hands.

It took a few minutes until everyone had calmed down, the Professor included. So he waited until he had caught his breath to make his announcement, clearing his throat first, to make sure that everyone was listening. "Right, now that you're all here, I have a little announcement to make. An old friend of mine Jean-Luc has finally turned up again, I've been searching for him for years, ever since my accident in the army, we shared the same bunker room. We've been in touch and he has invited us down to see him, he's throwing a ball in honour of our reunion. So tuxedos and ballgowns all around, and I want you all to be on your best behaviour." He said sternly, eyeing Rogue and Logan, causing them both to smirk.

Within a hour of his announcement, the girls were at the mall, having dumped the guys off at the tuxedo store before they went to find dresses. They found the dress store that had been recommended to them, and it was HUGE. In order to ensure that they all managed to find a dress, they decided to split into groups. Ororo and Jean going one way and Kitty and Rogue going the other. Kitty was in heaven, they had somehow found the pink section. She tried on nearly every dress there, until Rogue assured her that that dress was the one. It was beautiful, sparkly pink, strappy and it seemed to float around her, showing off her figure.

Rogue was a lot harder to shop for, it took the over half an hour to find her perfect dress. But both agreed that it was worth it. They went to pay for the dresses, meeting up with Storm and Jean who were each clutching a bag, and both of them marvelled at the 2 girls' dresses.

"Well, ah bet you found some pretty exceptional dresses yourselves. Can we see?" Rogue asked. The pair nodded and showed them their dresses. Jeans was a deep red and had a faux fur shrug to keep her warm, as it had no straps. It was pretty puffy, a nice cinderella dress, definately not Rogue's cup of tea. Storms on the other hand, was a beautiful silk dress, it would fall to the floor, and cling to all of the right places. Rogue smiled at her, she couldn't wait to see Logan's face when he saw her in that dress.

Once the dresses were bought and paid for, they went back to collect the guys, before moving on to the shoe shops. The guys kept trying to get a look at the girls dresses but none of them came close, although they almost saw Kitty's when she had let go of her bag to try on some shoes. It didn't take long for them to give up on the bags and start trying to guess the colour of the dress from the colour shoes the girls were looking at. Before they knew what had happened, the girls had found matching shoes for their ourfits, jean and Rogue's black, Kitty's red and Storms white, leaving them standing around waiting whilst the guys found there shoes, them having been too busy trying to guess the colour of the dresses to find any.

The guys seemed pretty sheepish after that, well wouldn't you be if you were in a large shopping mall with 4 ticked off women, who, by the way, have the car keys? I thought as much.

After stopping for something to eat, they sent the guys in search of decent cufflinks and a tie, whilst the girls picked out a purse and jewellery, arranging to meet back at the entrance in an hour. The guys spent the first half of that in the arcade, trying to best each other at the games, until they saw the time and started running around the mall trying to find something the girls would approve of.

The girls had used their time more wisely and each of them had found a bag and some jewellery to go with their outfits, and each was happy. When they reached the entrance they were calm and relaxed, having enjoyed their time. The same could not be said for the guys. They ran up to them, all of them out of breath, holding up their purchases for inspection, something which made Rogue and Kitty chuckle.

Once Jean and Ororo had approved all of their purchases they all piled back into the cars to return to the institute, not wanting to be late for Logan's danger session, all of them knowing the penalty if they were, and none of them wanted to be battered or bruised for the big dinner party tomorrow night.

They arrived back at the institute and had just enough time to hang up their outfits and suit up before going to their danger room session.

An hour later both Rogue and Kitty collapsed onto their beds after the danger room session. "I'm, like, so tired. I swear those sessions get worse." Kitty moaned.

Rogue nodded. "Yeah, I know, but at least we don't have one for almost a week now. It'll give us time to relax and recover." She pointed out.

Kitty sighed dreamily. "six whole days without a danger room session. Do you think Logan will explode?" She asked, chuckled.

Rogue laughed."Probably, but Storm and the Prof will calm him down. They've already had a long chat with him about 'appropriate' behaviour for this dinner thing tomorrow night." Rogue told her.

"Wow, wish I could have seen that." Kitty mused.

Rogue pulled herself up off the bed and headed into the bathroom. "Well, might as well start getting ready. We have to leave in a couple of hours you know." She told her.

Taking her time in the shower, Rogue savoured the relaxing feeling the warm water gave her as it clensed her body of the sweat and pain of the torturous session. When she finally stepped out, wrapping a towel around her before she left the bathroom, she found Kitty sat on the bed, an open suitcase in front of her as she contemplated several of the items sat on her bed. "No matter how hard you stare at them, they won't pack themselves Kit." She told her, smirking at her look of concentration.

Kitty turned to Rogue. "I know, although that would be, like, pretty neat, don't you think? I'm not sure which one to wear now, and which one to take with me." She explained, turning her attention back to the offending outfits in front of her.

Rogue glanced over at her. "Wear whichever one is most comfortable and cooler. It's pretty hot down south. You'll want your warmer one for when you come back here, you'll feel the cold more." Rogue told her at the questioning glance she received.

Kitty nodded, folding one outfit and slotting it into the suitcase before picking up the other one and heading into the bathroom to get ready.

Rogue sat at her dresser and brushed out her hair, drying it, then runing the straightners through it, although she allowed the ends to curl slightly. Once she was happy with her hair, Rogue began to dress, pulling on her facourite set of undergarments before moving over to her wardrobe where she pulled out a dark blue mini skirt and a deep violet tank top. She lay her leather jacket on the bed, and folded a pair of black jeans and several t-shirts and vest tops into her suitcase, along with her new outfit and accessories ready for the ball tomorrow night. Once she was satisfied with the outfits she had chosen, she pulled out a pair of low heeled sandels to wear for the journey down, and placed her green pumps in the suitcase for on the journey back.

Kitty emerged from the bathroom looking pleased and refreshed after her calming shower. "So, you all packed?" She asked.

Rogue grinned. "Of course. We have to be the first ones done right?" She asked. The pair chuckling, knowing that none of the others would even start packing for another hour yet. They always left it til last minute, thinking that it would keep their clothes from creasing, but Rogue and Kitty both knew that it made no difference. Their clothes came out looking just the same if not better than the others when the time came for the cases to be unpacked.

Once they were all done and had packed a seperate bag with the things that they wanted to take with them in the car, the pair zipped up their suitcases an headed downstairs to the foyer, where they had all arranged to meet up.

It was another 20 minutes before the others arrived downstairs in the foyer, all of them looking a little rushed and flustered, whereas Rogue and Kitty were relaxed and laid back and looked dazzling. "I don't know how you two do it." Jean stated, amazed that they were so chilled out, when the rest of them had been running around like headless chickens for the past 35 minutes. "You always take ages to get ready in the morning, but with something like this, you're always done before everyone else. I just don't get it." She stated.

Rogue and Kitty exchanged an amused look. "We know we take ages to get ready, so we give ourselves plenty of extra time to get ready in when we have a deadline like this. We started getting ready two hours ago, picking out our outfits, and showering and whatnot, it means that we are done early and have time to relax without having to run around getting everything done at the last minute." Rogue explained.

Jean and Storm just stared at them for a moment before gaping, amazed that their solution was so simple. "I was kind of expecting something a bit more spectacular." Storm commented, causing them all to giggle.

Just then the guys came down, hurrying them all out to the van, where the cases were loaded into the boot and everyone climbed in, Logan and the Professor up front, with Scott, Jean and Storm behind them, and Kurt, Kitty, and Rogue in the back.

Rogue spent most of the journey down to New Orleans reading and listening to music, whilst Kitty was on her laptop, e-mailing her parents and instant messaging her friends from school. They made one pitstop where they all grabbed some food and used any neccessary facilities that they needed before they piled back in the van and continued driving. They had already decided that Logan would drive down and Scott would drive back, none of them thinking that it was fair for just one person to do all of the driving as it was such a long way. They had thought about dividing it all up equally, but as Kitty was with them, no one wanted to be subjected to her driving, so they kept it to just two people.

2 hours after the pitstop and they finally pulled up at the hotel they had booked for the night, the hotel having been recommended by Jean-Luc. They were all welcomed warmly and shown to their rooms, Scott, Kurt and Logan sharing, Storm and Jean sharing, Rogue and Kitty sharing and the Professor go a room all to himself, after all, he was the oldest one there, with the possible exception of Logan, after all, no one knew exactly how old he was.

Once they had all gotten settled and unpacked they arranged to meet down in the reception area at 8pm so that they could enjoy dinner and sort out where everyone would be going that evening. Rogue and Kitty had already decided to go to the little jazz club they had spotted not far from the hotel. They had liked the music they heard pumping from it and the overall vibe that it seemed to exude.

At 8pm sharp they were all being seating in the hotel restaurant, each couple dressed differently. The Professor, Storm and Logan, were in formal wear, having decided to go and see a show for the evening. Scott and Jean were in jeans and t-shirts, wanting to go for an evening stroll and explore the place, whilst Rogue and Kitty were dressed in their party gear of mini skirts and sparkly tops ready for the clubs, and dancing. Kurt was going to hang out at the hotel as he wanted to talk to Amanda and was going to check in a couple of times with the institute to make sure that the newbies hadn't destroyed it or anything.

They each discussed their evening plans, Logan scowling at Rogue and Kitty when he heard that they were going to the local clubs, but he calmed somewhat when a local waiter assured him that they were all staffed by the very best security, each boasting a large number of bouncers and guards, who had each received special training to ensure that they were able to protect their customers no matter what situation arose.

Sure enough, half an hour later, Rogue and Kitty arrived at the club and were waved through the velvet rope, not having to wait in line, whic they enjoyed immensely, although several of the people in the queue didn't seem that impressed. As soon as they entered they knew that they had made the right decision on where to go for the night. The atmosphere was contagious. The music was pumping and everyone was on the large dancefloor. It was crowded but there was plenty of room for people to spread out and dance in their own little group or on their own of however they liked. There were about 5 bar staff on, as well as another 5 who were working the room, taking any orders from the dancers who were reluctant to leave the floor but didn't want to get dehydrated.

They pair exchanged an excited look before heading straight out onto the dancefloor, weaving their way through to the centre where they soon joined in with a group of dancers, finding that they were better at dancing than they realised. The girls found several guys offering to buy them drinks and asking for dances with them very quickly, and whilst they agreed to the dances they never let anyone buy them a drink, and they always fetched their drinks from the bar themselves so that they could see them being made. That way they knew that nothing had been put in it by anyone else in the club, so they wouldn't get taken advantage of. It was one of the things you ended up doing when you had Logan drilling 'constant vigilance' into your brain.

At 2:30am, the 2 girls left the club and walked the short distance to the hotel, a club security guard watching them the whole way to make sure that they got there ok, which they thought was a nice touch. THey walked quietly along the hallway, not wanting to risk waking up the others, knowing that they would get in trouble for getting in so late, and praying that Logan's sensitive ears wouldn't hear them as they staggered slightly and tried to muffle their giggling about some of the dancing they'd seen in the club.

The next morning the pair were met with a few raised eyebrows when they reached the breakfast table, the rest of the group suprised at how good the pair were looking for saying that they had been out til 2 in the morning.

"You girls enjoy your evening?" The Professor asked, pretending that he hadn't heard them come in at 2:30.

Rogue and Kitty smiled. "Yes thank you Professor. You?" They asked politely.

"Yes, Storm, Logan and I found that the show we saw was most enjoyable. Although I fear we may have gotten a little too caught up in the plot line." He admitted, glancing at Storm and Logan.

THe group looked between them, silently demanding more of an explanation, but when Logan turned his glare on them they soon realised that they weren't going to get one. He, instead turned the topic back to the two party girls. "So, you two got headaches?" He asked, readying himself to grill them on everything that had happened the night before.

Rogue and Kitty smiled at him. "Nope. We didn't get drunk, just a little hyper as we were so excited about everything." Rogue explained.

"Yeah, the club was amazing. It had, like, such a great vibe, and there were people around to take your drink orders, like, no matter where abouts in the club you were. Then when we were leaving the bouncer asked us if we'd be ok getting back, and when we told him that we were just down the road he, like, watched us the entire way to make sure that we got here safely. He was, like, so nice." Kitty gushed, obviously excited about it.

Jean, Storm and the Professor smiled at the over enthusiatic girls. Scott, Kurt and Logan frowning at then. "Well I hope you didn't tell them what room or floor you're staying in as that would mean that any creeps who overheard you could easily break in and attack you. You see how stupid that is?" Logan grilled them.

Kitty looked down, a little upset, causing Rogue to glare at the man. "Logan will you back off! Kitty and I only pointed out which hotel we were staying in, by that time, anyone who wanted in to the club was already inside, there was only the one guard out there to make sure that everyone who came out got home safely as it's no secret that New Orleans can be a dangerous place at night, what with all the murders and robberies that go on down here. Just because you're obviosly a little embarassed about your own night out, doesn't mean that you need to pick on me and Kitty!" She told him firmly, matching his gaze before taking Kitty's hand and leaving, not caring that she hadn't eaten a single bite of her breakfast.

When the pair had left the Professor and Storm sighed. "Logan, you really need to relax a little. They're grown girls now and they know what they're doing. You taught them well, you know they would never do anything that silly. They're very safety conscious, we all are, living with you and the way you drill it into all of us it's a habit that becomes second nature." Storm explained to him calmly, trying to alleviate some of the mans tension.

The Professor sighed a little and turned to Scott and Jean when he saw that Logan was as calm as he would be for an hour or so before he sought out Rogue and Kitty to try and make it up to them. "So, how was your evening?" He asked the couple.

"Oh, it was lovely actually. We just went for a walk around, see what's what so to speak. I mean, we may as well do a bit of sightseeing or whatever if we're going to be here for a week." Jean reasoned, Scott nodding in agreement.

Meanwhile Kitty and Rogue had reached the park, where they slumped down on the benches. "Rogue, thanks for what you said back there." Kitty muttered.

Rogue turned to look at the girl slightly suprised. "Hey Kit, you know ah'll always look out for you. Just like you do for meh right? We got each others backs, that's what friends are for right?" She assure the girl.

Kitty smiled at her and nodded."Right. Now, what should we, lik, do now. Guess we skipped breakfast, and it'll be at least an hour before, like, Mr Logan comes looking for us, so what should we do?" Kitty asked.

Rogue looked around her thoughtfully before grinning. She turned to Kitty. "Hey Kit, how'd ya like to go dancing?" She asked.

Kitty looked at her a little gone out, after all, hadn't they just gone dancing the night before. Kitty turned in the direction Rogue had looked in until she saw what Rogue had seen and grinned nodding. "Like, totally. That looks like so much fun." She exclaimed.

The two girls ran in the direction of the sign and spoke briefly with the man holding it who directed them to the studio where the lesson was taking place. When they arrived they were suprised to see how many people were there. As soon as they walked in a woman approached them a large smile on her face. "Hello, there, can I help you?" She asked them.

"Ah think so. We're here about the dance class?" Rogue asked her.

The woman beamed. "Wonderful, then you're in the right place. My name is Marianne and I'm the instructer here." She told them.

Rogue and Kitty nodded and smiled, shaking the hand she offered to them. "Hi, ah'm Rogue, and this is mah friend Kitty." Rogue explained.

"Lovely, come on, we're just about to start. I have some spare workout clothes if you want them. They should fit the pair of you, and they're new, so they haven't been worn yet," She told them.

"Great." Rogue and Kitty replied, thankful that they didn't have to get all sweaty and what not in the clothes they were wearing. Marianne directed them to the changing rooms and handed them the clothes which still had the tags on and everything, so they knew she wasn't lying when she said that they were new. Once they were dressed they walked out to join the other woman in the class, a couple of them having come over and introduced themselves to the pair.

"Okay then ladies, lets get started. I want each of you to grab a pole and keep your eyes on me ok?" She instructed them.

Rogue and Kitty made sure that they were next to each other, the women they had been speaking to taking positions around them. Although they all made sure that they were nearer the front so that it was easier to see and they could make sure they heard what they were being told to do.

An hour later and Logan decided that he had had enough time to cool off and so had Rogue. He left the hotel and began wondering the streets, sniffing the air every now and then to find out where the pair were. He reached the park and then headed towards a dance studio, for a moment wondering if he had gotten the wrong place, this certainly didn't seem like the type of place where the two girls would hang out, Rogue especially. He walked inside and stopped at the reception desk. "Scuse me, I'm looking for Kitty and Rogue, one petite with brown hair, the other quite tall with auben hair with two white streaks in it at the front?" He asked.

The woman smiled at him. "Oh yes, they should be out in a minte, the class is almost finished now. If you'd like to take a seat I'll let them know you're here. You must be Logan, is that right?" She asked.

Logan looked a litle taken aback that she knew who he was, but he tried to cover it, apparently not well enough as the woman chuckled at him. "Don't worry, I'm not psychic or something. They told me that you might turn up here looking for them. They asked me to let them know when you arrived." SHe explained, Logan just nodding as he sat down, fidgeting nervously, not liking being in such a girly place. A guy like him definitely didn't belong in there, and he didn't think that Rogue did either but even he had to admit that she had changed a little since she had gained control over her powers, not too much though, he admitted to himself.

Rogue and Kitty were just finishing up in the class, suprised about how fast they were able to pick it up, already they were able to dance and spin and twirl and even do a couple of the more complicated moves on the pole. The teacher came over to them at the end. "Wow, you two were great. I don't think I've ever had students pick up what I was teaching so quickly. I could probably put you in the show in a couple of days time if you're interested?" She asked them.

Rogue and Kitty exchanged glances, suprised at her comment. "What show?" Rogue asked.

"Well, about three or four times a year we put on a sort of show for our sponsers. They all come and watch and we show off what we're able to do. We have a couple of competitions, one for the best in show and another for a couple of members of the audience to come up and have a go. They're always completely hopeless but it's all good fun and we all have a good laugh. So what do you think?" She asked them.

Kitty looked over at Rogue. "Rogue, what do you think? Should we, like, do it?" She asked a little apprehensively.

Rogue thought about it for a minute, but then figured that as you only lived once you had to grab at opportunities like this when you could. She looked over at Kitty and grinned mischievously. "Ah'm game if you are Kit." She replied.

Kitty saw the look and knew exactly what Rogue was thinking before she said it. Kitty matched her grin and turned back to the teacher. "We'd love to, but we're both busy tomorrow afternoon and all evening, we've agreed to go out with our family sort of thing. Is that going to be a problem?" She asked.

Marianne smiled at them. "Not at all. We won't be able to rehurse tomorrow anyway, I have a family event to go to. If you could do all day the next day, then the show is the night after that. I'll provide you with the costumes, just let me know your dress size. I'll have your outfits ready for you for the rehursal." She told them. Rogue and Kitty both beamed, excited about what they were going to do, but both knowing that they would never tell the x-men or anyone about what they were doing. If someone found out they had been to a dance class they'd say they had learnt street dancing or something as they could both do that pretty well already.

Just then another woman walked through the door and headed over to where the three of them were talking. "Rogue? Kitty? Logan is waiting for you downstairs." She told them.

Rogue and Kitty exchanged a glance and smirked at each other, both of them knowing how uncomfortable the man would feel in such a girly place. THey turned back to Marianne and smiled at her. "Ok, we have to go now, but what time should we come here on Friday?" Rogue asked her.

"If you could get here for about 9? Would that be ok?" She asked.

The pair nodded. "That sounds fine to us." They assured her, before running off to get changed so that they could meet Logan before he got all wound up again at having to sit there for so long. Barely 5 minutes later the pair walked downstairs and met the disagreeable man sat fidgeting in one of the chairs. Rogue and Kitty shared a look before they both rolled their eyes at his behaviour. Kitty went over to placate the man and get him out of there whilst Rogue sorted out any fees they had to pay.

A short time later the pair were escorting Logan back to the hotel so that they could meet up with the others and grab a bite to eat before they began getting ready for the ball that evening. It didn't start til 7, but both Rogue and Kitty knew that they would need to start getting ready at about 5. But before that, they wanted to run into town to do a little shopping, both Kitty and Rogue had found that they needed something to read for on the journey back and their evenings in the hotel when they had nothing better to do.

During lunch there had been pleasent chatter about what they had all been up to during the morning and both Kitty and Rogue were amused to see the shocked and suprised faces when they announced that they had attended a dance class. The Professor was the first to come back to himself. "Well, I guess that will come in handy tonight, with this being a ball and all." He stated.

Both Kitty and Rogue were unable to keep themselves from laughing, just picturing themselves dancing like they had today in their party frocks in a room full of elegant people. At the questioning looks Rogue forced herself to calm enough to explain. "It wasn't that kind of dance." She explained to them.

"Then what kind of dancing did you learn?" Storm asked them.

"Street dancing." The pair stated, causing the others to chuckle a little at the thought of the pair street dancing in ball gowns, suddenly realising how ridiculous it was.

Once the lunch was over they all went their seperate ways, agreeing to meet in the lobby at 6:45pm. Rogue and Kitty instantly took off into town, quickly finding several good book shops to look in and finding several titles that took their interest. By 4:30pm both girls arrived back at the hotel with a bag full of books and 2 bags of clothes that they had simply found too adorable not to buy.

THe pair went straight to their rooms and began getting ready, not caring that they had hours, they wanted to make sure that they looked amazing in front oof the Prof's long lost friend and were relaxed so that they did him proud, after all he had done a lot for them over the years, and he was the reason they were now able to walk the streets and not feel persecuted like they had before.

Kitty and Rogue chatted and laughed easily as they took their time getting ready, making sure that they didn't leave any base uncovered. Before they left their room, they each wrapped up in their cloak like coats, pulling the hoods up over their immaculately styled hair, so that their appearance would come as a suprise to the others as well as the Professors friends.

At 6:45pm precisely the two girls exited the elevator to find the rest of the team stood waiting for them, all looking a little suprised at the pairs ensemble. Deciding that it would be better not to comment at the present time, the group all exited the hotel to find a limo waiting for them, apparently it had been sent compliments of Jean-luc, something which Rogue and Kitty found increased their opinion of the man greatly, after all, it didn't look all that great to get out of a cab or a van, no matter how amazing you looked.

They didn't reach the venue until 7:10pm, something which annoyed both Scott and Logan greatly, but the others were amused, knowing all to well that it was the best thing to do to be fashionably late. They all felt that it only looked somewhat needy and desperate if you arrived either early or on time. When they walked in, all eyes in the room turned to them as they descended the grand staircase. The cloakmen taking their coats from them at the top. Kitty and Rogue purposefully hung back until the end so that their attire made a bigger impact, although Kitty knew that Rogue's would cause the biggest stir, the girl was simply gorgous, and the fact that she was so ignorant of the fact only made her even more astounding.

The Professor, Storm and Logan descended the stairs first, a few murmers circulating the room. Apparently most of the people here knew who they were. Behind them came Scott and Jean, who just began to decend the stairs as the other three reached the bottom, all of them turning to look at the others coming down to make sure they didn't stumble or anything.

When Scott and Jean reached the bottom they turned around in time to see Kitty having her cloak removed from her, all of them smiling and sighing at how beautiful the girl looked. Kurt's mouth dropped open when he saw how amazing she looked, and couldn't help but grin at the girl. Kitty saw their expressions and smiled, half wanting to run down the stairs so that she would be able to see their expresions when they saw Rogue. "Kitty, you look beautiful." Kurt told her as she took his arm so that he could accompany her down the stairs. She forced herself to walk calmly, having made Rogue promise not to take her cloak off until she reached the bottom so that she could watch their reactions.

Rogue watched Kitty walk down the stairs, almost missing her footing once, but Rogue had sent her a quick message and the girl had deftly avoided falling flat of her face. Seeing as Kitty had made her promise not to take her cloak off until she reached the bottom, Rogue turned to the cloakman waiting to take her claok and asked him a few general questions about the evening, which he was only too happy to supply the answers to. She found him quite charming in his own way. But before she had the chance to say anymore she noticed that Kurt and Kitty had just reached the bottom and wee now turning to face her.

Taking a deep breath, she turned away from the man who gave her a nod of goodluck and pulled the ribbon holding the cloak shut apart, pulling down the hood to reveal her face, seeing the eyes of her friends widen slightly at her, causing her to smile a little, she then allowed the cloakman to take the cloak from her shoulders revealing her dress, which was made of an emerald coloured silk, the cut having a square neckline, which suited her perfectly and molding itself to her body, showing off her amazing figure, although it seemed to float out slightly around her legs making it a perfect dress to wear to something like this when she would be dancing as it would give her the appearance of floating accross the floor.

Slowly Rogue began to walk down the staircase, well aware that every eye in the room was upon her, but not bothering with that, she was more focused on trying not to burst out laughing at the expressions of those people in front of her, even Kitty seemed somewhat taken aback by the effect the light and everything had on the look, nevermind the fact that she had seen the look as it was assembled, so to speak. It was the others' reactions that were more amusing however, she thought that their jaws were in danger of hitting the ground they had dropped so far. Their eyes so wide that they might pop out of their sockets altogether and the gasp so loud that she was pretty sure the entire ballroom could hear it.

THe amusement in her eyes however and the smile on her face simply served to make the girl even more dazzling and all the occupants of the room found their breath being taken away from them by the girl.

Rogue reached he bottom of the staircase and snapped the others out of their trance as she had no idea where they were supposed to go from there. She had asked the cloakman, but he had said that someone would approach them and lead them to where they were supposed to go. She looked around discreetly, trying to see if anyone was coming towards them, however, the entire room still appeared to be in shock over her appearance and therefore hadn't moved since she had first started her decent although she could still feel every eye in the place upon her, something which unnerved her slightly, as she still wasn't quite used to all the attention.

The x-men shook themselves out of their reverie and began to look around the room themselves, finding themselves also amused at the reactions of the occupants, who just then seemed to realise that the girl was now in the ballroom alongside her companions, none of whom had any idea of where they should go now. Suddenly a man stepped forward and bowed to them. "Hello, allow me t' introduce m'self. I'm Francoi, an' I 'ave been ordered t' assist ya in any way necessary until le roi and 'is family arrive. Please, follow me." He requested and led the group towards the bar, Rogue and Kitty at the back of the group, already talking about some of the eyecandy they had spotted in the crowd.

10 minutes later the group had their dirnks and they were all escorted to a table which was a bit further away from the rest, so as to give the occupants more privacy in which to talk and whatnot. THey had not long sat down when the music started up again and a gentleman approached the table, bowing to Rogue. "May I 'ave de honour of a dance Belle?" He requested.

Rogue smiled and turned to look at the Professor who smiled and nodded his head slightly at her. "Ah'd love to." She replied, taking his hand as he led her to the dancefloor, everyone who wasn't dancing watching her as she went. The man proved to be a very capable dancer, although he was by no means what you'd call a professional, and it didn't take long for it to become obvious that Rogue was somewhat out of his league, however, that did not deter other men from asking for her hand shortly afterwards.

A couple of songs in and Scott and Jean took to the floor, Kurt had asked a pretty girl to dance with him, as she appeared to be rather alone, alongside Kitty and one of the guys she had eyed up earlier, which amused Rogue greatly. By now Rogue was on her third partner, and they appeared to get more and more skilled as they went on, but she was still waiting to find someone who could really match her pace in dance. She found herself having to half lead, forcing them to go in the right direction, whilst still appearing to let them lead the dance.

About half an hour in and the three occupants left at the table heard some doors nearby open and 4 figures emerge into the room. The entire room seemed to freeze, everyone falling into a deep bow or an elegant curtsey. Rogue quickly fell into a curtsey herself, the gracefullness of it, shocking those around her, the other x-men, however, weren't quite so quick off the mark, only Kitty being able to drop into a curtsey, a little messily, but she managed. The others however, didn't bother. Something which the occupants of the room seemed to find somewhat disagreeable, although they allowed the man in the wheelchair to be let off, after all, he could hardly bow like that. But they took a bit of a dilike to Storm, Logan, Kurt, Scott and Jean.

The elder gentlemen, who Rogue quickly sussed must be the Jean-Luc that the Professor had spoken briefly about, turned to the group and nodded his head regally, making a gesture with his hand, which seemed to be the signal for the music to start again, as the band started playing again and they all continued to dance, Rogue quickly adapting to the sudden change as she had been taught to over the years. The strangers around her seemed somewhat impressed by the young girls abilities, especially with the way she had realised that she should bow to the person walking in the room, even though they all knew that she had no idea who he was. She had dropped gracefully into that curtsey as though she were one of them. The other more petite girl not too far behind them.

Jean-Luc and his party approached the table, smiles on their faces as they saw three figures alreay there and another four returning from the dancefloor. Jean-Luc looked slightly puzzled for a moment, 'I'm sure Charles said there would be 8 of them in total.' He thought to himself but quickly shrugged it off. "Charles, my old ami, it is tres bon ta see ya again!" Jean-Luc exclaimed and he hugged the Professor.

The Professor smiled at his old friend. "It is good to see you too Jean-Luc, it has been too long since we last spoke. Allow me to introduce Logan and Ororo, two of the teachers at my school . . " He paused and the pair nodded and greeted the others. By which time Kitty, Kurt, Jean and Scott had rejoined them. "and this is Kitty, Kurt, Scott and Jean, four of the senior students at my school, Rogue is here also, but I'm afraid she has been swept off her feet and onto the dancefloor. She should join us again soon though." He explained.

Jean-Luc nodded before turning to his own brood. "Well, dis 'ere is mon fils, Henri. His wife Mercy, and Tante Mattie. My other fils, Remy, should be joinin' us shortly, but 'e 'ad to tie up a couple o' t'ings before 'and." He explained as the group took seats at the table, the two empty seats being left between Kitty and Henri.

Conversation between the group at the table mainly seemed to revolve around the professor and Jean-Luc for a while until they all noticed a dazzalingly beautiful woman approaching the table, a gentleman by her side, speaking to her, a soft smile on her face. At the sudden silence the Professor and Jean- Luc turned to see what was going on, the Professor smiling at his student. "Ah, Rogue. There you are. Could I borrow you for a moment. I would like to introduce you to an old friend of mine." He called softly to her.

Rogue looked up and saw that there were several newcomers at their table, so politely (and very gracefully they noticed) curtseyed and excused herself form the man's presence, he making a returning bow before turning back to the dancefloor in search of another partner. Rogue approached the table, and easily recognised which one was Jean-Luc, the one they had all bowed to when he entered the room. She realised that this man held a lot of authority and had to be treated as such, so curtseyed before him and the rest of the table, soemthing which shocked the x-men but impressed the thieves.

"You called for meh Profesor?" Rogue asked, all of the newcomers instantly recognising her southern drawl, causing a small smile to grace their features, Tante Mattie in particular, already sensing that this girl was something special.

The x-men quickly gathered themselves so as not to look stupid in front of their hosts. "Yes, Rogue, I'd like you to meet Jean-Luc." He paused as the man in question rose, along with the other occupants of the table, and nodded to her, which she politely returned. "This is his son Henri, and his wife Mercy." He introduced, turning Rogue's attention to the handsome pair sat close to her. Again the pair nodded and she returned it. "And this is Tante Mattie." He finished, a little unsure about how to introduce her. Rogue smiled at the woman, already feeling a warm and comforting vibe coming from her. She bowed again before smiling at them all. "Ah'm pleased ta meet ya all. As the Professor said, ah'm Rogue. Sorry, ah'm a little late." She told them, as she took her seat next to Kitty.

Jean-Luc smiled at the girl, alreay having taken a liking to her from the way she curtseyed and bowed to them, as though she knew who he was. Tante Mattie put the girl at ease however before the regal man even had the chance to open his mouth. "Don' worry 'bout it my chil'. Le roi's other fil, Remy be runnin' a li'l late 'imself." She assured her.

Rogue smiled at the woman, and whilst the Professor continued to talk with Jean-Luc and the x-men spoke between themselves, Rogue engaged the thieves in a lively conversation, often causing theem to burst out laughing.


	2. Chapter 2

I would like to dedicate this chapter to RogueNya, you were my first reviewer, Thank you so much :-D

Well, here's the second chapter. Hope you like it.

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Half an hour later, after Rouge had moved around a chair slightly so that it was easier to converse with the LeBeau's, the doors were opened once more and another man entered and headed to their table, only this time, only a small handful of people bowed as he entered, him being so quiet that nobeody really noticed him. As he got closer they all turned and Jean-Luc rose, causing the others to do so, although the x-men were a little slow, having noticed that Rogue seemed to know what she was doing so had figured they should just follow her lead for the evening.

"Mon fils, it be 'bout time ya got 'ere." Jean-Luc greeted his son.

"Desole Pere, dere were a few problems we didn' forsee. it all bin teken care of now though." He finished.

As soon as the man spoke the x-men gasped a little, having recognised the man that now stood before them as none other that Remy Lebeau, AKA, Gambit, one of Magnetos old acolytes. All the x-men turned to look at Rogue somewhat hesitantly, knowing that the pair had always had a somewhat strange and volatile relationship. Kitty was the only one who knew of Rogue's feelings for the cajun and so was watching her friend carefully to see how she would take this suprise.

"Gumbo!" Logan half snarled, receiving a glare for his tone from the Professor, Storm and Rogue, causing him to back of a bit in a huff.

"M'siu Wolfie, what a pleasen' suprise." Remy smirked, bowing slightly. Logan remained stiffly glaring at the cajun until Rogue gave him a mental slap and told him to bow in return. Logan did, but glared at Rogue the whole time, although she pretended not to notice.

"Remy, I see ya already aquainted wit' our guests." Jean-Luc commented, having noticed the interaction between Logan and Rogue but wisely chosen to ignore it. As it turned out that Remy knew the girl, he would grill his son about her later on.

"Oui pere. We met when Remy were up Nort'." He explained.

A couple of eyebows were raised at his explanation, but it was left at that. It was only then that Remy took a glance around the table to see who else was there, although he froze and gasped when he saw Rogue, who was still staring at him, not sure what to think of his presence. "CHERE!" He cried, when he saw her, drinking in her appearance, he was astounded by how amazingly beautiful she looked, and she was actually showing off skin. SHe had less make up one too, obviously having dropped the whole goth look since he last saw her. He had heard rumours that she had gotten control over her powers, but wasn't sure if it was really true or not. He smirked at her. "Ya miss Remy chere?" He asked her, playfully.

Rogue saw the range of emotions cross his face and wasn't sure what to make of them. But at his question settled for glaring at him. "Not at all Swamp Rat. Why? Ya miss me?" She returned, smirking at him. The rest of Remy's family, biting their lips to keep from laughing, never having heard Remy being spoken to in this way before.

Remy pouted and placed a hand over his heart. "Cherie, ya woun' Remy. O' course 'e missed ya. Life jus' i'n't da same wit'out such a belle femme such as yerself aroun'." He told her.

Rogue just rolled her eyes, already knowing where this would end up going. Jean-Luc noticed the atmosphere between the two and decided to change the subject. "Remy, why don' ya tek a seat an den we can all get somet'in ta eat huh?" He suggested.

Remy just nodded and walked around the table until he reached the empty chair between Rogue and Scott, Kitty having been moved to sit between Kurt and Logan. Rogue and the Lebeau's all waited until Jean-Luc had been seated first before sitting down themselves, the x-men however, did not think to do so. But then, seeing as they didn't realise what the status of Jean-Luc was, she couldn't really say anything outloud without it being awkward, and she knew that even if they did know, they would only act like idiots, so figured it would probably be best for them to remain ignorant.

Rogue sat down and turned back to Henri, Tante and Mercy to continue the conversation that had been carrying out before Remy's arrival. "So, anyway. We arrived yesterday afternoon. That hotel ya'll recommended is amazing. Kit and ah tried the club just down the street last night and really enjoyed it. Ah can't get over how nice everyone is down here. It makes a nice change from New York." She told them. The others smiling and nodding at her.

"Ah know wha' ya mean Rogue, ah went up north once fer a job I 'ad. Couldn' get over 'ow rude an' ignorant everyone dere was." Henri told her.

"Don' ya worry non bout de 'otel chil'. We recommended it, because it be run by de guilds." Tante explained. Silently wondering whether Rogue knew what she was on about or not.

Rogue looked slightly puzzled for a moment before she nodded. "Right, of course." SHe stated. "Ah take it then, that the guards at the club, are also on the guild payroll?" She asked, suprising the other thieves at how quick she was to pick up on things.

Remy saw the suprise on his family's faces and couldn't help the smirk that played at his lips. "Don' look so suprised mon famille, ma cherie be more quick on de uptek dan ya giv' 'er credit for." He told them.

Rogue turned to glare slightly at Remy. "Cajun, ah've told ya before and ah'll tell ya again. Ah ain't nothin' of yours! Got it?!" She told him firmly, glaring at him in full force now.

Henri and Mercy couldn't help but smirk at the pair, but Tante Mattie just smiled knowingly at them. "Aw chere, ya know ya love Remy really." He told her, smirking as he leaned towards her, suddenly coming to a grinding halt, almost as though he had smashed against an invisable wall. Remy tuned to look at Jean, but found that she wasn't even loking in their direction which meant that it couldn't have been her. Slowly Remy turned back to Rogue, suddenly realising that Rogue's control was more than he originally thought. "Chere, was dat you?" He asked, cautiously.

Rogue folded her arms and glared at him. "Damn right it was. Ah don't want your slimy hands any nearer to meh than is completely necessary." She told him, causing a few chuckles form his family.

Remy turned serious for a moment. "Rogue, why didn' ya tell me ya got control?" He asked quietly, so that no one would be able to hear.

Rogue saw the expression on his face and knew that he was being serious, added to that was that fact that he had said 'me' instead of 'Remy'. She turned her gaze down to her lap and fiddled with the napkin she had placed there as the food was being served. "Ah was going to, but then you just up and left without a word. It wasn't like the others stuck around after you left or gave meh a forwarding adress or anything. Besides, ah didn't have complete control til a couple months back, just as the Professor nailed home this peace thing between humans and mutants." he told him, still gazing at her lap.

The other LeBeau's at the table had noticed the suddenly serious tone of Remy and had politely pretended not to listen, although they were all straining their ears to hear what was being said between the two as it was obvious that the pair had a history together.

Just then the plates arrived and the pair couldn't talk anymore for fear of being overheard. A short ways into the dinner and Rogue reached out with her mind to knock on the barriers that Remy kept up around his own mind. He dropped them slightly, just enough to let Rogue in, but no one else. 'Ya alright chere?' He asked.

'Yeah, ah guess so. But ah know we can't really talk in front of everyone, so figured this would be the next best thing.' She told him.

Remy gave a small smile. 'So, Chere, why don't ya tell Remy wha's bin 'app'nin' since 'e left de noth?' He asked her.

Rogue gave a sort of mental scoff. 'If ah were ta tell ya everything we'd be here all night.' She told him. 'a lot has happened since you left.' She told him.

'Well, why don' ya jus' tell Remy de importan' bits den huh?' He asked her, turning to glance at her out of the corner of his eye, only to find her looking intently at her plate as she started to eat her food.

'Ah don't know what ta say. Ah mean, yeah, ah got control an all, but it wasn't easy and it did have a lot of side effects at first. Ah've still got all the psyches in mah head, and ah still get nightmares of everyones worst memories. But ah can block most of them during the day, so it's not as bad as it could be. When as first got control ah would suddenly freeze up at odd moments, a memory overpowering meh. It was awful, an kinda scary too. Ah kept passing out because of it. No one really knew what was happening to meh.' She told him.

He could hear the sorrow and fear that was in her voice and sent out some comforting emotion in her direction, making sure that only she would feel it. She looked up suddenly and turned to face him; he gave her a nod a small smile of his face which he was pleased to see her return. 'So what about you Cajun, what you been up to since we parted ways?' She asked him.

Remy sighed. 'Not much chere, jus' stuff fer de famille, ya know what dey like. I t'ink I tol' ya 'bout dem befor'.' He told her.

Rogue could sense that he was upset about that so tried to comfort him in some way. 'Hey, you're not supposed to be upset when you're with your family. It can't be that bad right?' She asked him.

Remy gave a wan smile to her. 'Guess not, but it not wha' Remy 'ad wan'ed ta come 'ome ta.' He told her.

Rogue smirked at him. 'None of us ever get the perfect welcome home Remy, Ah know that more than anybody.' She told him.

'Wha's dat s'posed ta mean Chere?' He asked.

Too late Rogue realised that she had said something she shouldn't have so she turned her face away and broke the mind connection between them, instead turning to talk with Mercy and Henri.

Remy felt his curiosity peak and he felt Rogue break the connection she had forged between them, turning away from him in order ot speak to his brother and sister-in-law. For the rest of the meal he kept a close eye on her, his empathy keeping a permanent tab on her emotions, able to feel the permanent saddness that seemed to radiate from her. He knew that he needed to find out more, and thought it was the perfect opportunity when the meal ended and music started up again. Remy turned to Rogue, clearing his throat. "Chere, Remy woul' be honoured if 'e could 'ave dis dance." He asked her.

Rogue looked at him a little unsure, but knowing that he was related to Jean-Luc, and secretly wanting to hold his hand more than anything else in the world, she nodded and let him take her hand and lead her onto the dancefloor. The pair were the first to step onto the floor, and the others, having seen Rogue dancing earlier, decided to sit out for the first dance so that they could watch what they knew would be spectacular.

Sure enough the music started to play, and everyone's eyes were on the pair glided accross the floor, Rogue slightly suprised to find that for the first time, she had found a partner. Remy forced Rogue to look into his eyes, so that she could see just how much he cared for her. He was also slightly taken aback by how good she was, he had never seen the girl dance before, and from what he knew of her, he never would have pegged her as the kind of girl to learn it, so to speak. He wondered idley when she had learnt to dance like this.

Rogue could see the care and affection in his eyes, but she could also sense his suprise at her dancing abilities. The discovery made her smirk at him. "There's a lot you don't know about me Swamp rat." She told him.

Remy returned her smirk. "So Remy see Chere. When ya learn ta dance like dis huh?" He asked, his curiousity overtaking him.

Rogue's smirk got a little wider. "Ah've danced all mah life Cajun. Ah just kept it secret when ah came to New York." She told him.

Remy felt his eyes widen, causing the girl watching him to chuckle. He smiled genuinely when he heard it. "Ya got a belle laugh Chere. I like hearin it." He told her sincerely.

Rogue was a little taken aback by his confession, and if it hadn't been for that fact that he had used the first person, she would have said he was having a laugh. "Oh, well, thank you ah guess." She told him, a little unsure of what to make of that.

Remy just chuckled at her. "Ya most welcome Chere. So, wha' ya up ta now dat dis peace t'ing's in place?" He asked her.

"Not a lot ah guess." She told him, tiliting her head slightly, both of them letting the music carry them accross the dancefloor as they talked. "We don't get called out all that much now, just when the cops or whatever need a bit of mutant back up, so to speak." She told him. "Ah guess now that ah finished school Ah'll look at going to college or something." She told him.

Remy nodded. "Glad ta 'ear it Chere, ya too smart ta let it all go ta waste." He told her.

"Yeah, well don't write yourself off too much Cajun, it takes a lot of brains to pull off such thievery and not get caught." She told him, smirk back in place.

Remy grinned at her. "Why t'ank ya chere, I'll tek tha' as a compliment, which I know ta be rare from ya." He told her.

"Maybe in the past." She told him softly. "Ah can do and say what ah really mean and feel now. Ah'm not constricted anymore by keeping people away from me. Ah don't have to be a stereotype." She told him, gently.

"Ya never were ta me chere. Ya were always yer own person, an' I knew dere was more ta ya dan met de eye." He smiled.

She returned his smile. "Thanks Swamp rat, that means a lot." She told him.

"So Chere, ya never tol' Remy wha' ya were gonna study?" He asked her.

Rogue chuckled at him, looking down slightly, shaking her head. "You're right, ah didn't. Ah wonder why that is." She told him.

"Remy don' know wha' ya mean chere." Remy looked at her a little confused.

"Cajun, what difference does it make to you what ah study?" She asked him, one eyebrow arched gracefully.

"Remy just tekin an intrest chere." He defended himself.

"Sure you are." She told him, smirking.

"Ya woun' Remy cherie." He told her, pouting slightly.

"Get over yourself cajun, that don't work on meh. You know that." She told him, smiling in spite of herself.

Remy grinned at her. "Aw Chere, ya know me too well." He told her.

Rogue looked a little downcast. "Yeah, well, that's what comes from having people in your head." She told him.

Remy pulled her a little closer to him so that she had to look into his eyes. "Chere?" He asked, gently, wanting to make sure that she was alright.

She gave him a small smile. "Ah'm ok, ah just -" She sighed. "Ah still get nightmares from the memories ah have. Ah can control people's powers and touch now, which is nice, but ah just though that when ah got control the nightmares would stop you know?" She asked him.

Remy could feel her saddness at the fact that she still had nightmares about other peoples nightmares, and knew that some of his memories contributed to that. He felt his heart tighten at the thought of all the girl in his arms had been through in such a short space of time. "Chere. . " He started, not knowing what he could say to her.

Rogue chuckled. "Don't worry about it Remy, there's nothing you can do about it, ah just gotta learn to live with it. It'll probably get better in time." She told him, forcing herself to smile a little, wanting to reassure him, after all, he had done a lot for her. He had saved her life a couple of times, and he had helped her get away from everything when it all got too much for her at the institute, he gave her a means of escape when she needed it the most. She knew that if it weren't for him she would have lost control more than the once.

He noticed that she was trying to put on a brave front and let her rest her head on his shoulder as the music got slower. He knew that she felt grateful for all that he had done to her, but what she didn't seem to realise was that she had saved him too. She had saved him from himself. He had blamed himself for so much over the years, he had thought that his family were the worst out there, that they were manipulative and were only interested in his powers, but meeting her showed him otherwise. Mystique had only been interested in her powers, she hadn't cared what effect that had on Rogue. Learning about her had showed him that his family weren't all that bad, that they really did care for him, and that he cared for them, not to mention that there are some things in life that you have no control over, after all, the mere fact that they were mutants were proof of that, none of them had chosen to be that way.

For the rest of the dance Remy just kept Rogue close to him as they danced, the pair finding some sort of comfort in each other that niether expected to find, or even thought that they needed.

Back at the table, the other occupants were all watching Rogue and Remy dance, noticing the different range of emotions and expressions that crossed their features. The girls and the LeBeaus all smiled when they saw Rogue lean her head on Remy's shoulder, the pair slowing down to dance in time to the music. The Xavier boys on the other hand, all frowned at what they saw, all of them still seeing Remy as the enemy, well, except for Xavier himsefl, after all, he had already achieved his dream, he didn't feel all that much hostility towards anyone anymore.

When the music came to a close, other couples began to take to the floor, Rogue and Remy continuing to dance oblivious to the people around them, only aware of each other. Just taking comfort in each others presence, not realising how much they relied and drew strengh from each other.

Jean-Luc watched as his other son took to the floor with Mercy, and the couples Xavier had brought with him also left to dance, leaving just Xavior, himself and Tante Mattie. When they were all gone Jean-Luc turned towards his old friend. "So dis Rogue, she be a lil diff'ren' from yer other students." He suggested casually, trying not to let his curiosity at the girl show.

Xavier had always been able to read his old friend like a book, no matter how hard he tried to conceal his emotions. He gave a chuckle at his comment. "Yes, Rogue is rather special. I think she is the student I am most proud to have had the honour of teaching and helping, although I don't think I really did all that much for her." He thought to himself, not realising that he had said it aloud.

"Oh? An' why migh' dat be?" Jean-Luc asked.

"Well, Rogue had a rather harsh mutation, she would absorb the life energy of any person she touched, the memories and life force, and should the person be a mutant then their powers as well, just through touching them skin to skin. It meant that she had to cover up from head to toe, which was hard to watch, especially during the summer when the other students would be walking around in shorts and tank tops." He explained, a slightly sad look in his eyes. "Sadly she developed a prickly personality to try and keep people at arms length, which, considering how she's been treated in the past I can't really blame her for. After all, if everyone you ever loved or cared for either hurt you, let you down or lied to you, I think you would do the same." He commented.

"De poor chil'." Mattie exclaimed, saddened to hear all that the girl had gone through.

"So 'ow de fille end up wit' ya?" Jean-Luc asked.

"Well, when Rogue's mutation first manifested you can imagine how scared and horrified she was, after all, her first kiss and the boy ends up in a coma for three months. Understandably the girl was lost and confused, she ran. We tried to find her so that we could try to help her, but Mystique had been tipped off about her and managed to confuse the poor girl even more, transforming into each of us and convincing her that we wanted to kill her. She ended up joining the Brotherhood of Mutants, also based in Bayville, and led by didn't realise this at the time, so we kept trying to get through to her. Scott eventually got through to her, and she helped jean out several times, which made us think that maybe she wasn't totally against the idea of joining our ranks. I think Logan helped a lot in her final decision though. He seemed to understand her more than the rest of us could." He explained.

The pair nodded. "So she 'as control now?" Jean-Luc asked, curious in spite of himself.

Xavier nodded. "Yes, quite remarkable actually. She now has the ability to control every power that she has ever absorbed without having to reabsorb it. She can touch as well, which is the part she is most pleased about. Sadly the payches are still there, but her mental shields are getting stronger, and in time, there is a chance that they will fade to the extent where they no longer bother her at night." He told them, although from the tone of his voice they could both tell that he was reluctant to get his hopes up at the idea.

"What da ya mean by 'psyches'?" Mattie asked.

"Well, whenever Rogue absorbs someone, it's a bit like a part of the person is absorbed as well. They take on a personality in her mind, and tend to try and take over in moments of weakness. Not long after her powers manifested the build up became too much and she lost control, the psyches all fighting to gain control over her mind and body, thinking that it would give them a life." He explained to the pair. "I don't think I've ever feared any of my students before like I did in that moment when I went into her mind to help fight off the psyches. There were so many of them, and the noise . . . I don't know how she managed to control it before, and even now. I don't think I could." He revealed, shaking his head a little slightly.

"She's so young ta, an' yet she's bin trou so much." Mattie shook her head.

Their gaze turned back to Rogue and Remy who were still slowly spinning round the dancefloor. "So wha's de fille up ta now dat ya not fightin' de oter mutants all de time?" Mattie asked, knowing that the same question would be running through Jean-Luc's mind as well.

Xavier looked a little taken aback by the pairs interest in Rogue. "Well, not a lot I suppose. She's just finished school, and I believe is looking at different colleges to go to. I think she'll go south though. I know that she misses it down here. You can see it in her expression, she was over the moon when I told her we would be coming South to meet you and not you coming North." He smiled.

The pair next to him grinned and exchanged a look, wondering if they would be able to convince the girl to move to their city. After all, they had a lot of influence with the colleges and school around there, they were pretty sure that they would be able to ensure that the girls course was on offer at one of them.

Several hours later Jean-Luc took to the stage and cleared his throat, everyone instantly stopping whatever they were doing and falling gracefully into a deep bow or curtsey, Rogue the only one from the Xavier group who did so, something which caused Remy to raise an eyebrow at her and the others to feel a surge of respect towards, after all, she didn't know anything about them and yet the girl was still observing and participating in their culture, which was more than could be said for the rest of her group. "Now, as is tradition wit' dese balls, we 'ave da kareoke session where 4 people are selected at random an' perform a song of dere choice. Now, as we are joined by guests dis evenin', I would like it if un or doux of dem took part in dis, but I shall leave de decision up ta dem." He annouced.

The group all turned to each other and with a silent nodd they all knew that they would get Rogue to participate, all of them knowing how beautiful her voice was. They knew that none of them would be able to compete with her, so just let her compete. Jean-Luc nodded at their decision and then turned to his own people. "Now, we 'ave da contestan' from de guest group. Who o' ya is willin' ta compete 'gainst our guest?" He asked.

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Well? What did you think? Please review.


	3. Chapter 3

Ok, here's the next chapter. I wrote this part a while back, when I was having something short of an obsession with this song. Reading through it again, I'm not sure it really works with Rogue's voice, but as I can't think of something else at the moment, it will have to stay. However, that doesn't mean that it won't change. I just haven't thought of something yet.

Anyway, I would like to that everyone who has reviewed this story so far, it's great to get feedback about what people think, and I hope you like this chapter. :-D

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Several hands went up in the air and Jean-Luc scanned the crowd carefully. "K, well, Remy, mon fils, ya can get yerself up 'ere as I know yer can 'old a tune. Den we'll 'ave Vivian an' Francoi. " He annouced.

The four all walked up on stage and stood in a line, all of them looking through the books which showed which songs they could choose from. hen they had all chosen they decided on an order by drawing straws, Rogue ending up last, which she was a little nervous about, although on the plus side she would get to suss out the competition.

Vivian went first, singing the song Candyman, by Christina Aguilera. She earned a loud clap at the end, having sung the song quite well, although everyone knew that the others would have to be extremely bad in order for her to win.

This was put to the test when Francoi stepped up on stage, taking his place in front of the sang a Tom Jones classic, sexbomb, which was ruined slightly by the effect of his accent, but other than that he was really good. At least Rogue thought so anyway.

Next up was the Cajun snake charmer. He had taken his accent into account and chosen a more local singer, who Rogue had never heard of, but she was astonished by how well he sung. She had no idea if it was a true likeness to the singer, but she knew that she would have to be brilliant in order to beat that, something she wasn't too sure she was.

Taking a deep breath Rogue took to the stage, seeing Kitty, Jean and Storm all grinning at her, having heard her sing before in a school concert, all of them having been astonished at how well she had sung. She gave them a small smile and then turned and gave a slight nod to the guy with the music and he plressed play, the intro beginning to play. Rogue rested her hand gently on the mike, letting the music flow through her.

"I heard there was a secret court,

where David played and then pleased the Lord,

But you don't really care for music, do ya?

But it goes like this, the forth, the fifth,

The minor fall and the major lift,

The baffled king composin Hallelujah,

Hallelujah, Hallelujah,

Hallelujah, Hallelujah."

Everyone felt their breath catch in their throat at the sheer beauty of the girls voice. Remy found himself staring at Rogue transfixed, unable to believe how heartfelt the song seemed to be as it came from her. It was certainly not the type of song he had expected her to sing, he had expected something with a bit more of a beat to it, probably a bit more rockish as well. The xavier group however just smiled softly at her, still overcome by how beautiful she sang, just like they were every time they caught her singing, which was a lot more now that she had gained control over her powers.

"Your faith was strong but you needed proof,

You saw her bathing on the roof,

Her beauty and the moonlight overthrough ya,

She tied you to her kitchen chair,

She broke your phone and she cut your hair,

And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah,

Hallelujah, Hallelujah,

Hallelujah, Halleluuuuujah."

The crowd began to let the song wash over them, really paying attention to the words, finding themselves smiling softly at them as they continued to listen to the beautiful girls singing.

"Maybe there's a God up there,

But all I've ever learned from life,

Is how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya,

It's not a cry that you hear at night,

It's not someone whose seen the light,

It's a cold, and it's a broken, Halleluuujaaaah,

Hallelujah, Hallelujaaah,

Hallelujah, Halleluuu, haahoo,

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Halleluuuujaaaaaaaah.

. . .. .. . . Hallelujah, Halleluuuujah."

As she finished the song and the final notes played, the entire room erupted into thunderous applause, shocking Rogue slightly, not having thought that she was all that good.

Jean-Luc took to the stage again, smiling this time, truly begining to see just how remarkable how this girl really was. "Well, I don' t'ink I really need ta ask who da winner is, but jus' so dat it's fair. I want you all ta go an stand in de corner of de room fer de contestant ya t'ink shoul' win. Go over ta de far corner fer Vivian, de corner ta me lef' if ya wanna vote fer Francoi. De corner over near de bar for mon fils, or de corner ta me righ' if ya wanna vote fer Rogue." He announced, waiting for everyone to move to the appropriate corners of the room. No one was really all that suprised when everyone walked straight toward the stage on the right hand side of Jean-Luc. The man gave a small smile then brought the microphone back to his lips. "T'ought so. Rogue, I'm pleased ta announce dat yer da winner of dis contest." He announced, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, pulling her back toward the centre of the stage. He then presented her with an envelope but told her not to open it until she got back to her hotel that night. She looked at him slightly confused for a moment, but nodded that she would anyway. She figured that it would all explain itsefl when she read whatever was inside the envelope later on.

There was another couple of hours of dancing before people began to trickle away, Jean-Luc and the professor agreeing a time and place to meet up the following day; having thought that it would be nice to spend a little more time getting reaquainted.

Shortly after that the groups both went their own ways, Remy giving Rogue a nod and a wink, causing the girl to smile and roll her eyes, shaking her head at his behaviour, causing the man to chuckle at her reaction, but pleased that he had made her smile no the less.

In the car back to the hotel, Rogue just looked out of the window, thinking over everything that had occured throughtout the evening, and the day as well. The rest of the car seemed to be oblivious to this as they all talked about everything they had seen and done throughout the night. "It was truly amazing, although I thought it was a little odd the way that they all bowed and curtseyed, didn't you?" Jean commented.

"It's because he's a figure of authority. They're obviously quite traditional around here. They treat him like you would treat a king or queen." Rogue piped up, in explanation.

"Huh?"

"Why?

"A king?" Came their responses.

Rogue sighed. "Well, didn't you notice how tightly knit the group were. They weren't just Jean-Luc's friends in there, they're more like his followers. They're a sort of group, kinda like the x-men. Jean-Luc is the equivalent of the Professor, only their system is more of a monarchy than a democracy or whatever it is that we have." She tried to explain.

"Oh my God, we must have, like, seemed so rude to them. That was totally bogus. Rogue, how did you figure it out?" Kitty fretted, wondering how her friend had known.

Rogue shrugged, not entirely sure herself. "Not sure really. Ah just saw what they were doing and copied them, ah didn't get the gist of it until one of the guys ah danced with called him 'le roi', which is french for king." She told them. "After that, ah treated him as ah expect you would have to treat the Royal family if you went to England or something." She explained to them.

"And you didn't tell us any of this because?" Logan asked.

Rogue scoffed. "Please, like you would have bowed even if you had known. Besides, how would you have reacted? Probably like you are now, and you would have ended up saying something stupid to him, or any of them for that matter, so ah figured it would be better if you could claim ignorance." She told them.

They frowned at her, but when they thought about it they realised, a little painfully, that she was right. Although they weren't about to tell her that, so they decided to change the topic. "So, what's in the envelope Rogue"? Storm asked her.

Rogue looked down at the unopened envelope still lying in her lap and shrugged. "Ah don't know. Jean-Luc told meh not to open it til ah got back to mah hotel room, so ah'm not going to." She told them.

"What? Why on earth would he tell you that child?" The Professor asked.

Rogue shrugged. "How should ah know. These people have a pretty mysterious air to them. All ah can hope is that it will somehow become clear when ah open it up." She told them, sighing slightly.

The rest of the journey was pretty silent, all of them wondering what was in the envelope. Not to mention what they would do tomorrow. All they knew is that a car was coming to pick them up and would take them to Jean-Luc;s house. Rogue couldn't wait. With having some of Remy's memories in her head, she already knew what the house looked like and couldn't wait to see the looks on the others faces when they saw it.

Soon enough they reached the hotel and they all decided to go fo a quick drink before bed, after all, it was only 11:30pm. Logan scoped out the room as soon as they walked in and led them over to a table in the corner so that he could keep an eye on the room, not wanting anyone getting close without him realising it. They others were used to his paranoia so just let him get on with it, waiting until he had sat down to take seats around him. It was odd, after all, the Professor was supposed to be the leader, but in these kind of scenarios Logan always seemed to take the lead, no one else wanting to bother with the fight that would no doubt start if they didn't just shut up and follow him.

As he scoped out the room, they all went to check their coats in at the desk, where a porter would whisk them up to their rooms. Once again, there was an odd sort of silence as Rogue took her coat off and walked across the room with the others, not really focusing, her mind preoccupied wondering what was with the letter. Whether it was a letter, or just some wierd kind of prize or booby trap. She gently shook the thoughts from her mind, causing her hair to bounce slightly, the curls catching the light. She sank gracefully into a seat between Logan and Kitty, taking a sneaky glance around the room, not quite sure what she was looking for.

Finally seated a waiter approached the table and asked if he could take their orders, everyone taking turns in ordering what they wanted, although Logan frowned when Rogue and Kitty tried ordering something alcoholic. The waiter raised an eyebrow but said nothing, almost as though he knew they were underage, he didn't seem to care however, after all, he was under orders to give them whatever they wanted, and he wasn't about to let the drinking age get in the way of that.

As soon as he had handed out the drinks and left the group, Rogue having tipped him generously before he left, the others seemingly having forgotten, the others all turned to her expectantly. "What are y'll lookin' at?" She asked them.

"Well, aren't you going to open it?" Scott asked her.

Rogue frowned. "No, ah'm not. Ah was told not to open it til ah'm on mah own, and that's what ah'm gonna do." She announced, taking a sip of her Jack Daniels and coke.

The others glanced at each other. "Why not? How's he going to know?" Scott argues, wanting to know what they wanted with Rogue.

Rogue glared at him. "Look around you Scott. Half the people in here and all of the staff are known associates of Jean-Luc. If he tells you to do something, you do it. They're watching us. Keeping an eye on us, making sure we're safe and that we don't do anything we shouldn't. You forget, ah'm from the south, ah know how things work down here." She pointed out. "Now, unless you want to get us all in trouble, ah suggest you drop it and start talking about something else." She added, taking another sip of her drink.

There was a moment of silence as they all took a sweeping glance around the room, finding that indeed, they were being watched. "We're sorry Rogue, we're just curious child. We didn't mean any harm."Storm apologised. "I've been meaning to tell you all night, but you really do look beautiful tonight." She told her.

Rogue gave a small smile. "Thanks Storm. Not as nice as you though. Ah love that dress." She told her.

There was a chuckle around the table. "You are joking right?" Jean asked her, still laughing.

"Er, no. Ah'm serious. Ah'm no prettier than any of you." She told them.

"Oh my God, Rogue. You are ten times prettier than us. I mean, did you see the entrance you made at that party, the entire place silenced when they saw you. The same thing just happened when we got here." Jean told her, unable to believe that Rogue was incapable of seeing just how beautiful she was.

Rogue shrugged. "Really? Ah figured it was just because of mah hair or the amazing dress or something. Or maybe the fact that none of you had seen it or whatever." She told them.

"No way. Rogue you were the most beautiful girl in the room tonight and everyone knew it. Every guy was battling to have the chance to dance with you. I saw a couple trying to sabotage each others chances by tripping each other up, there were arguements going on in corners and everything." Jean told her.

Kitty chuckled. "Yeah, but as soon as you stepped out with Remy no one else had the guts to ask you." She told her.

Rogue blushed a little. "What? You have got to be kidding meh. There is no way dancing with someone like me could be that great." She told them, folding her arms.

They all smiled at her. "Rogue, you are beautiful, but you shouldn't put yourself down. You still think of yourself as the untouchable, but you're not. You're free now, you can do what you want. Touch who you want. You don't have to keep people away." The Professor told her.

Rogue didn't say anything, just glanced down at her drink for a moment before shrugging. "Yeah, well, anyway. Kitty, who was that guy ah saw you dancing with. He seemed real inta you?" She asked, wanting to turn the conversation away from her.

All eyes turned to Kitty, Logan scowling whilst kicking himself mentally. He had been so busy keeping an eye on Rogue and Gumbo that he had completely let Kitty slip under the radar. "Oh, his name's Dan. He was, like, so sweet. We just talked and danced, but it was, like, so amazing. And he's so dreamy." She told them, grinning.

Rogue, Jean and Storm all laughed, whilst the guys scowled, the Professor laughing a little at them. "Yeah, well, ah'm feeling a little tired, so ah'm gonna head up. See y'all in the morning." Rogue told them, standing up after swallowing the last sip of her drink.

"Night Rogue."

"Night."

"Goodnight, mein schwester."

"See you in a bit."

"Night Stripes."

"Goodnight Rogue."

"Sleep well child." The bid her goodnight.

Rogue gave then a wave, then walked out of the bar and up to the room she was sharing with Kitty, glad that the girl hadn't wanted to come up with her. 'Why is that? Kitty's mah friend, why don't ah want her with meh right now?' She wondered. She looked up and caught her reflection in the mirror, startling herself slightly. She looked at it closely. 'Huh, maybe they are right. Ah can see beauty in mah face. But ah wouldn't go as far as they said. After all, at the end of the day, ah'm still a gal with problems.' She told herself. She sighed as the lift opened. She walked out and along the hall until she reached her room, slotting the card in the slot until it turned green, opening the door.

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Ok, bit of an anti-climatic ending to the chapter, but if I went on to a cliff hanger, I have been assured that the chapter would be too long. So, tell me what you think and I'll get the next chapter up ASAP. Hope you liked it.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey, here's the next chapter. Let me know what you think, and enjoy. :-D

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The first thing Rogue did when she got in the room was walk out to the balcony, looking out over the swamp and the nearby park. It was a beautiful, in both day and night. She glanced up at the stars and sighed. "What's wrong with meh? Why can't ah sort this out? Ah don't want other people inside mah head." She looked down and saw the letter still clutched in her hand. 'Might as well open it, ah'm on mah own, just like he said.' She thought.

Suiting action to thought, Rogue lifted the envelope and stuck her thumb under the flap and opened it, pulling out the piece of paper it contained. She tucked the envelope behind it and unfolded what looked to be a letter of some kind.

'Dear Miss Roisin Massot,

We are pleased to inform you that a place has been reserved for you at the university of Louisiana. I have not been informed of what course you are looking to study, so would appreciate it if you could get in touch to let me know. My details are at the bottom. Your place is a full scholorship as we have seen samples of your work and would be honored to have you studying here with us. A private residence has been set aside for you, it is near to the campus, so there are no travel expecses involved, but not too close. It is a penthouse suite in the 'Belle Rose' building. We would prefer it if you could have a look around so that we can ensure that everything is to your liking here, if you got to the reception in the lobby and tell them your name they will show you around and take notes of anything you like and don't like about the place so that if you do decide to come here, then it can be altered to meet your preferences. A vehicle of choice has also been reserved for you at the local garage, but I have heard that your vehicle preferences lean towards motorcycles, therefore this is also redeemable at the Harley Davidson showroom here in Louisiana. Just take this letter with you.

We are quite a prestigious university, so we would appreciate it if you could get back to me as soon as possible, although we do not wish to put you under any pressure. If you are in town then we can try and arrange a tour of the university and introduce you to your tutors, we are all impressed with your work, especially your artwork and IT skills. If one of these is what you are thinking of taking a degree in the please get in touch as soon as is convenient for you.

I hope that you decide to join us here.

Mr Rene DeBourg.

(Dean)'

Rogue sank onto the bed, trying to wrap her head around what she had just read. 'Mah prize was a scolorship?' She thought to herself. She sat there just staring at the page, wondering what to make of it.

She was still sat there an hour later when Kitty walked in, a little giggly. She took one look at Rogue and seemed to sober up instantly. "Rogue? Are you, like, ok?" She asked, approaching the girl.

Hearing someone talking to her, Rogue looked up, but her expression was still one of shock. "Ah, ah don't really know." She told her.

"Rogue, you're starting to, like, freak me out a little. What is it?" Kitty asked her, cautiously, wondering whether she should go and get Storm or Logan.

"The letter. . ." She told her, looking at the piece of paper she was still holding in her hands. "It's a scholorship to the university here. . . Ah don't understand. Ah haven't even applied to any yet." She told her.

Kitty gasped, grinning. "OH MY GOD ROGUE! A SCOLORSHIP, THAT IS, LIKE, SO TOTALLY AMAZING, AND YOU SO DESERVE IT TOO!" She cried, running up to Rogue and embracing the unresponsive girl in her arms. Rogue hugged her back, not really realising what she was doing. "Rogue? Can you hear me?" Kitty asked, sensing that Rogue was still in a bit of a shock. "Oh no, she's gone into shock, ok, Kitty, you can handle this, now, what should I do?" She asked herself. "Storm." SHe thought, knowing that the weather witch would know exactly what to do. Kitty sat Rogue back down on the bed. "Rogue, you wait here ok? I'll be right back." She told her.

Rogue just nodded, her eyes still a little unfocused as Kitty ran out the door and down the hall to Storm and Jean's room.

As soon as she saw Rogue nod, Kitty ran out the room, making sure to grab her key card, not wanting to be locked out. She then ran a couple of doors down to where she knew Storm was sleeping, and banged on the door. She hopped on the spot until Storm answered the door. "Kitten? What on earth is the matter?" SHe asked the anxious girl on the doorstep.

She heard other doors openeing around her, but she didn't bother to turn to see who it was. "Storm I need your help. I can't remember what you have to do when someone goes into shock!" She exclaimed.

"What? Whose gone into shock?" She asked.

"Rogue. THe letter. Oh my God, it's so amazing, and she totally deserves it, but she's gone into total shock, and I cna't get her to snap out of it." She told her. "Come on." She urged, grabbing the woman's hand and dragging her with her back to their room. She quickly shoved the card in the door, letting out a growl of frustration when it didn't work the first time. She finally managed to get it to work and she threw the door open, pulling Storm inside with her, only to find Rogue still sat where she was before.

Kitty turned to Storm. "See, you have to do something." She told her, her distress clear on her face.

"Ok Kitty, calm down, it's going to be alright." Strom told her. "Now, could you go and get me some cold water and a large towel?" She asked her. Kitty nodded and ran off as Storm walked over to Rogue. "Rogue, child, can you hear me?" She asked her.

Rogue turned to face storm and opened her mouth as if to say something, but then just shut it again, unable to find the right words. "Got them" Kitty cried, as she returned, seeing Storm crouched in front of Rogue.

"Good, would you hand me the towel?" She asked. Kitty nodded and handed it to her, Storm draping it around her shoulders and covering the front of her dress, not wanting to ruin it. "Ok, and the water?" She asked. Kitty handed it to her, wondering what she was going to do with it, she was a little shocked herself when she threw it in Rogue's face.

Rogue screamed, the shock of the cold water snapping her out of her trance. She looked up and saw Storm with an empty glass in her hand, both her and Kitty watching her a liitle worried. "Storm? Kitty? Why did you just throw water all over meh?" She asked them, her eyebrow raised.

"You went into shock Rogue, I like, couldn't think what I should do, so I ran and got Storm." Kitty explaiend quickly, hoping Rogue wouldn't get to mad at her.

"Oh." Rogue stated. "Er, thanks. Ah guess it wasn't exactly what ah was expecting." SHe told them, by a means of explanation, although whether that was about her going into shock or the water, they weren't sure, and they decided not to ask.

"Rogue, are you ok? What happened?" Storm asked.

"Huh? Oh, ah read the letter." She told her.

"And?" Storm pushed.

"Well, er, ah don't know." She answered, looking down at the letter. "Ah should probably get some sleep. Sorry to disturb y'all." She told her. "Ah'll go get changed." She told them, folding the letter and walking away to the bathroom.

Storm turned to Kitty. "What's going on Kitty?" SHe asked her.

"There's no way that I'm going to take this away from her. It's her news, and way to big for anyone else to tell." She told her.

Storm sighed, sensing that she wasn't going to get a coherent answer out of either of the girls tonight. "Alright, but keep an eye on her. If you need me during the night, you know where I am." She told her, before opening the door to find the rest of the x-men there, Scott and Jean having to hold Logan back.

"What is it? Is she alright? If Gumbo did something to her I'll-" He started, ready to track him down and rip the man limb from limb.

"Logan calm down. Rogue is fine, just a little shocked at the contents of the letter. I think it took her a little by suprise, but don't ask why because she didn't tell me what it said, and Kitty refused to tell me." She explained. "She's fine, so I suggest we all get some sleep and see how things are in the morning." She told them, waiting for them to move back to their own rooms. She then glanced back at the room, before walking to the room she was sharing with Jean, closing the door with a sigh, hoping that everything would be ok in the morning.

The next day, Rogue and Kitty were the last to come down. Rogue still seemed a little out of it though. Kitty was walking beside her and the pair sat down at the table. "Morning Rogue. Morning Kitty." The Professor greeted them.

"Morning Professor." Kitty replied, smiling cheerfully at the man.

"Morning." Rogue greeted, pouring herself a glass of water. She looked a little tired, but none of them said anything. "Er, Professor? What time is the car due to pick us up?" She asked.

The professor was a little taken aback by her question but realised that he didn't have a clue. No one had mentioned a time. "Er, to be honest I'm not that sure Rogue. It will probably be a little after breakfast." He told her.

Rogue nodded. "Oh, ok then." She told him. "Is there a dress code?" She asked.

"Er, I shouldn't think so. He just asked us to catch up and have lunch with him." He told her.

"So smart casual then." She announced. "Ok. Ah should go and change." She announced, rising.

"Er what's wrong with what you're wearing now?" Scott asked. Taking in her denim mini and her green t-shirt, along with her green pumps.

Rogue sighed. "Don't you remember what ah told you last night? Would you really recomend ah wear this to meet the Queen?" She asked them.

"Er, no, not probably not." He admitted.

Rogue smirked. "Exactly, now, ah'll go an get changed." She told them.

THe others all looked down at their own outfits, deciding that the only one who didn't need to go and change was the Prof, well, and Logan but that was more because he refused to change his clothes for someone else when it wasn't a party. They just rolled their eyes and left him with the Prof as they all went to find something more suitable to wear, all of them hoping that they had something with them.

Kitty walked into her room to find Rogue stood looking out over the balcony. A little worried, Kitty made her way outside and stood next to Rogue. "Hey, what's going on? I thought you would be happy about this scholorship?" She asked her.

Rogue sighed. "Ah am. It's just, well, there's more to it. they want to give meh more than just a scholorship and ah'm not sure whether it's right to take it." She admitted. "It's kind of why ah want to get there quick. Ah really want to have a little chat with Jean-Luc about this." She told her.

"What do you mean there's more to it?" Kitty asked her, curiously.

"Ah don't think ah should tell you just yet." Rogue told her. "Ah still haven't come to terms with all of this mahself." She explained. Glancing at her slightly out of the corner of her eye.

"Oh, ok then. Well, will you help me pick out the right outfit? I really don't want to look stupid or offend anyone today." SHe asked her.

Rogue smiled at her and Kitty felt a little relief wash over her to see that Rogue was acting a bit more like herself. "Sure, let's see what you got." SHe told her, following the girl back into the room where they opened Kitty's closet and took a peek inside. "Ok, well these look good on you, and you want some comfy shoes that are easy to take on and off, so these should do the trick, and . . . hm, oh, this top, with your favourite jacket." She told her, handing her the items. SHe gave her a smile of encouragement as Kitty began to change, a little nervous about the combination, never having worn anything like this before.

Rogue then walked over to her own wardrobe an pulled out a pair of white cotten pants she had brought yesterday whilst out with Kitty. SHe then changed, but left her green tshirt and pumps to add a little color. She found her white cotten waistcoat and pulled that on over the top then glanced at herself in the mirror. 'It'll do.' She thought. She took another look, and then decided to change it all. She stripped down to her underwear and then pulled on her dark blue jeans and smartened them up with a belt and a pair of formal boots. She then teamed that with her purple asymetric top. She left her hair to hang loose, but put a pair of Purple studs in and a black cuff bracelet on her wrist. She then looked in the mirror and decided that was much better. She turned to Kitty and was please to see her admiring how good she looked in the mirror. "Ah take it yah like that look then Kit?" She asked, a smirk on her face.

Kitty whirled round, a little embarrased at having been caught admiring herself in the mirror. "Er, yeah. I do. Thanks Rogue." She said. "Wow, I like that. Those boots are to die for, when did you get them?" SHe asked, sure that she hadn't seen them before.

"Huh, oh, the day before we left ah think. When ah went shopping with Wanda." She told her.

"Oh yeah. Well when we get back you have totally got to take me there, because I, like, need a pair of them." She told her.

Rogue chuckled. "Sure kit, now lets go, before Logan gets his underpants in a knot again." She told her, grinning at the thought, Kitty laughing as the pair grabbed their bags and walked down the hallway to the elvator.

When they reached the lobby they found the others all waiting for them, Logan seeming a little impatient as he tapped his foot, his arms crossed over his chest. The two girls saw this and glanced at each other before laughing, causing a few curious looks from the others, but they decided not to say anything, just pleased to see Rogue laughing again. "The car's here." Logan stated, causing the girls to calm down slightly.

"Right. Lets go then shall we?" Rogue suggested.

The pair led the way out to the car and climbed into the back, Rogue sliding in gracefully, causing a few raised eyebrows from both the driver and the others in the car. "Er, Rogue, how did you learn to do that?" Jean asked her.

"Do what?" She asked, oblivious to what they all thought was incredible. Even Storm hadn't been that graceful and she had been taking limo rides for years.

"That sliding thing you just did." She elaborated.

"Huh? Oh, you mean when ah got in?" She asked, waiting for the nods. "Well, it's something to do with mah past. Ah don't really like to talk about it." She told them.

Scott was about to say something, but Jean placed a hand on his arm and gently shook her head knowing that now was not the right time to bring up Rogue's past, not that any of them knew anything about it, or even her real name. They continued to carry out small talk on the journey there, all of them wonderng what was in the letter to have caused Rogue's odd behavior the previous evening and what exactly Rogue had meant about her past.

As soon as they pulled up the driver came around to open the door, first getting the Professor and the other gents out of the car before holding out a hand to assist the ladies, all of them trying to climb out gracefully, none of them managing it quite as well as Rogue, despite the hints she had given them on the journey. As Rogue climbed out last, she placed her hand in the drivers and slid her legs out before using the driver's strength to pull herself up. It was gracefully done and everyone there, including the driver and the staff that were stood waiting to greet them all knew that it wasn't her first time in a limo.

Once everyone was out of the car, the driver climbed back in and disappeared. Leaving the others standing there with the staff. "Bonjour, my name is Vincent and I am to take you to Le Roi." He told them, giving them a small nod of the head. The others all snapped out of the trance like state they seemed to go into when they saw the huge size of the house.

Rogue smiled at him. "Bonjour Vincent. après toi si vous mèneriez la manière?" She asked. (Hello Vincent, after you if you would lead the way?)

The man looked a little taken aback that she was able to speak french so well, and with a bit of an accent as well. He quickly snapped himself out of it and smiled at her.

"Of course, mademoiselle, please, follow me." He told her, as he turned and headed back into the large house that he was standing in front of. The others all followed behind him, all exchanging glances as they walked through the house, taking in the sheer beauty and magnificence of it all. It was only a few moments later before they arrived in a large room where the LeBeau clan were all awaiting them. They all stood as their visitors walked in, Rogue, Kitty and Vincent immediately dipping into a bow, the others doing so a little slowly, and slightly bitterly as well, not really understanding why they should have to, but they didn't want to cause any trouble so just went with it for now.

"Le roi, you guests have arrived Sir. Can I get you anything else?" Vincent asked him.

"Non. You may go." He told him. Vincent just nodded and left the room. As his attention turned back to the group before him he saw that Rogue was the only one still in her curtsey, the others already having risen. He smirked. "You may rise belle." He told her, and Rogue did so. "I trust you all slept well?" He asked.

"Oui Merci." Rogue replied instantly. (Yes thank you)

The others just nodding. It didn't take a genious to figure out that Rogue had told the others something of their system here and so had elected her to do the mannors part of the meeting. "Vous avez une belle maison, Monsieur." She told him. (You have a beautiful home, sir)

The LeBeau's all smiled at her, impressed that she spoke such fluent French.

"Merci, belle." He replied. "Je fie vous a lu les contenus de l'enveloppe je vous ai donné hier soir ?" He asked her. (I trust you read the contents of the envelope I gave you last night?)

Rogue's expression turned serious immediately. "Oui Monsieur. J'ai voulu vous parler de cela." She told him. (Yes Sir. I wanted to speak to you about that)

Jean-Luc raised an eyebrow but nodded. He then turned to the others. "My friends, I would like to welcome you to my home, please, take a seat. I hope you don't mind, but I just want to borrow your Rogue for a moment. We shan't be long, I promise." He told them. He then turned and walked towards a door on the other side of the room, Rogue following him. The others all exchanged a look, wondering what had just happened and been said, none of them having understood what they said.

"Don't worry. He will not 'arm 'er." Tante Mattie comforted. "Can I get ya somet'in' ta drink?" She asked them.

"A cup of tea would be lovely please." The Professor asked. Tante Mattie nodded before turning to the others.

"Just some juice or water would be great thank you." Kitty told the woman. Tante Mattie smiled at her.

The others gave their requests and Mattie took Mercy and went to get the drinks. Remy and Henri sat down and wondered what to say to them. "You have a beautiful home here." Kitty piped up, not knowing what to say but hating the silence.

The two men smiled at her. "Thank ya Petite. It's been passed down t'rough de famille for century's." Henri told her. "But I hear, ya live in a pretty magnifique house yaselves." He told them, smiling.

They all smiled. "Yes, we do. The Professor built a school to help us with our mutations, to control them so that we wouldn't be such a danger to ourselves and others. We don't have to live in fear there, well, we didn't until . . "Jean trailed off, and just shook her head not wanting to go down that road. "But it is now, anyway." She finished.

"I see. So Professor, how did ya meet mon Pere?" Remy asked.

THe Professor grinned. "We were in the army together. Before I was injured, we shared a bunker together, got to know each other pretty well, and became good friends. We had each other's backs then, but then one night whilst he was on night duty a bomb landed just outside the bunker where I was sleeping. I woke up 6 weeks later in the hospital, I was told that I'd never be able to walk again, but funnily enough, I was more worried about your father than what they had told me." He told them, all of them with soft smiles on their faces. "I asked a lot of questions and somehow managed to find out that you father was fine but he was no longer in the army. I was given an honorable discharge because I was no longer of any use to them, and I came to New York and set up my school. I've been searching for him for years now, but never knew where to start. I never realised he was still in the country." He admitted.

"I never knew mon Pere was such a team player." Remy stated, Henri nudging him in the ribs.

THe Professor chuckled. "He wasn't particularly. It was just us two. He tended to have the attitude that if someone had to snuff it then he didn't care who it was as long as it wasn't him." He told them, a small smirk on his face.

"That sounds a bit more like the Pere we know." Remy told them, a smirk on his face.

Elsewhere, Rogue had followed Jean-Luc through the door which turned out to lead to a library. He sat down in one of the chairs as Rogue took in the beautiful room around her. "Mon Dieu." (my God) She murmered, amazed by the beauty and the sheer volume of books in the room.

Jean-Luc just smiled. "Oui, but I get de feelin' dat ya don't want ta talk bout my books?" He asked.

Rogue snapped out of it and walked over to the seat opposite him. She sat down and pulled the envelope out of her purse. "I think there must have been a mistake somewhere. You can't have meant to give all of this to me." She told him.

"I always know wha' I give, an' dere's always a reason." He told her.

"But, it's too much! All I did was sing!" She exclaimed. "That does not deserve a full scholorship, a penthouse sweet and a HARLEY!" She exclaimed, trying to calm down and not get so worked up bout it.

"Fille, do you know why I gave you dat?" He asked.

"Non." She answered.

"Because I can see yer diff'ren'. I know ya know 'bout us an' what we do 'ere an' i also know dat yer de reason all dem people back in dere just bowed ta me." He told her. "I've never met somone like ya, who ain't a part of de famille or de guild. If ya wan' me ta be honest, I want ya ta stick aroun' 'ere, and I'm pretty sure mon fils would like dat too." He told her, watching her reaction.

She blushed a little when he said he wanted her to stick around, as did Remy. "Oh, well, Ok, I guess I can understand the scholorship, but what's with the Penthouse suite and the Harley? And another thing, how on Earth did you find out what my real name is? I've never told anyone!" She told him, eyeing him hesitantly.

Jean-Luc chuckled. "Ya smart Rogue, I like dat bout yer. I t'ought the Penthouse an' de Harley might be de icing on de cake, so ta speak, but maybe I went too far, guess ya not de kinda fill dat can be b'ought, I like dat." He told her. "As fer ya name, well, we know a lot of t'ings 'ere. I 'ave people everywhere." He told her. "The same people tol' me 'bout yer past belle." He told her.

Rogue swallowed hard and felt a tiny surge of panic shoot through her, but she kept her face set. "How much?" She asked, wondering just how much he knew, with any luck he wouldn't know the worst of it.

He gave her a sympathetic look. "All o' it." He told her, confirming her worst fears.

"Why are ya so interested in meh?" She asked, trying to calm the internal panic that was going on in her mind.

"Cos yer different Belle. Ya managed ta figure out 'ow t'ings worked down 'ere wit'out havin' ta be told. When I walked inta dat ballrom las' night, ya dropped inta a curtsey jus' as gracefully as me own people. It teks skill ta be able ta do dat." He told her.

"So?" She questioned, sure that he couldn't have done all this just because she could curtsey.

"So, yer a special femme, an' I liked ya style. De way ya wouldn' let mon fils push yer around or charm ya. No one's ever done dat before, I was impressed." He admitted.

"So you figured you'd offer meh a full scholorship along with a penthouse suite and a harley because of that?!" She exclaimed.

"Well, that and I'm told tha' ya want ta come back south ta study." He told her. "I was jus' tryin' ta give ya an option. 'sides, I had planned ta talk ta ya 'bout becoming a member o' de guild." He told her, watching carefully for her reaction.

"Become a thief?" SHe questioned, slightly taken aback.

"Yes, and no. I want ya ta become a part of d guild Belle, dat don't necessarily mean stealin. Not if ya don' want ta, after all, an unwillin t'ief is useless ta me." He explained.

"Right. Ah see. Well, ah know enough about this place to know that you only steal small amounts from people who deserve it, so ah wouldn't have a problem with that, But the scholorship, penthouse and Bike? That seems like a little much to meh." She told him.

"Ok, so what would you accept?" He asked her, wanting to keep her, after all, Remy had been utterly miserable when he had arrived back from the ball last night. He would do anything to keep his family happy.

"Well. You said that you could ensure the college would offer any course ah wanted?" She asked. Jean-Luc nodded. "Well. Ah'll take you up on that, and Ah'll only accept the scholorship if the college wants to offer it to meh, with no outside pressure." She told him sternly. "Other than that, Ah don't want anything. Ah already have enough money to sort out mah accomodation and a ride." She told him. "It'd be nice to have a harley, but ah'd rather earn it on mah own. Thanks all the same though." She told him, a small smile on her face.

"I t'ink yer gona fit in jus' fine 'ere belle." He told her smirking.

"Thank you." SHe told him.

"Ya know, ya still haven't tol' me wha' course ya want?" He questioned her.

"Ah know. Ah'm torn between a couple of them, so ah'm going to talk to the college and see what they think about it." She told him. "Ah'll let you know soon though." She told him.

Jean-Luc realised now what his son saw in this girl. She was differert indeed. He couldn't help but smile at the girl, he didn't know anyone else who would have turned down all that he was offering her. She was a traditional type of girl, and he liked that. There was also the face that she could actually control Remy, which was more than anyone else had ever been able to do, with the exception of Tante Mattie of course. "Well, I'm lookin' forward to it Femme." He told her. "Now, we 'ad bes' be gettin' back ta de others, or Charlie boy'll be gettin' worried bout ya." He told her.

"Charlie boy?" She asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Army name." He shrugged.

"It's hard to think of the Prof in that way." She told him.

He chuckled at her face and led her back through the door, still chuckling at her face. Rogue just shook her head, not seeing what was so funny, after all the Professor just wasn't a 'Charlie boy' type to her. It was just too wierd.

The others all looked up when the pair came back into the room. Rogue caught the look that the Prof gave her and smiled to reassure him that all was well. He noticed and gave her a slight nod to let her know that he had seen and understood. "So, is everything alright?" He asked.

Rogue glanced at Jean-Luc. He just gave a slight nod, raising an eyebrow. "Better than that. Ah've been offered a place at the college here in New Orleans." She announced, grinning.

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Extra french:

Belle - beautiful

Fille - girl

Femme - woman.

Pretty basic, but better to be safe than sorry. Hope you like it, next chapter coming up soon.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey, sorry to keep everyone waiting so long, I've been a little tied up. But to make up for it, here's 2 chapters in one go. ;-) Should keep everyone happy for a while.

Hope you like the chapter, and THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the wonderful reviews. =)

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They all jumped up and came to congratulate her, Kitty wondering why she didn't say anything about the scholarship, or anything. They all went to hug her and asked her what she was going to study. "Ah've not quite decided yet. There's a couple ah'm looking at. Ah've told them ah'll let them know when ah've decided." She explained.

"Well done Chere. Remy be pleased for ya." He told her, as he approached.

Rogue nodded, her smile disappearing somewhat. "Thanks." She told him, letting him hug her, but it seemed a little awkward between them. The others noticed and wondered whether they should give the pair a few minutes alone.

"Charles, why don' we go out ta de gardens ta catch up?" Jean-Luc suggested.

The Professor nodded and ushered Storm and Logan out in front of him, despite the furious glares that Logan was throwing back at him. Mercy and Henri then turned to the other four who were left. "Why don't we give ya a tour o' de place?" Mercy suggested.

Jean smiled at the girl. "That's a great idea." She told the woman, dragging a scowling Scott out with her, Kitty giggling back at the pair (and pulling a hesitant Kurt with her), who were still stood in the middle of the room.

As soon as they had gone, Rogue leaned back and Remy let go. "Well, ah guess that got rid of the others." She stated, smirking slightly.

"Ya shrewd Chere." He told her. "But ya know, ya seem a little sad Chere, in yer eyes." He told her, a serious expression on his face for the first time in a while.

"Yeah, well. That's part of the hand ah been dealt." She told him, looking away.

Remy walked closer to her and lifted her chin so that she was forced to look into his eyes. "Chere, why won't ya talk ta me?" He asked her.

Rogue turned her eyes away, not wanting to look at the sadness she could see there. "Ah can't. Ya hurt meh when ya left like that Remy. Ah'm scared it's going to happen again. Ah was a mess Remy. The others thought it was mah powers causing it, but it wasn't. If ah'm going to move down here, then ah need to know you're not going to hurt meh like that again." She told him.

"Chere, I never meant ta hurt ya. Ya mean de world ta me Rogue. What can I do ta prove it ta ya?" He asked her, clutching her hands to his chest.

Rogue looked at him, desperately wishing that she could believe him. Let herself trust him enough to show how much she loved him. She already knew he felt the same, and that he could sense how much she loved him, after all, they sort of shared the same power now. "Ah don't know Rem. Ah love ya, so much, but." She stopped, not knowing what to say.

"But what?" He asked. "I love ya Chere. Isn't dat what matters?" He asked her, tears in his eyes at the thought of being so close to her and losing her.

Tears rose in Rogue's eyes as she saw those in Remy's eyes, but she cursed herself for it. She hated to look so weak. Remy didn't really care as long as he stood to gain from it. She knew this and hated him for doing this to her. "Oh Remy." She told him. "What if you meet someone else? Go off somewhere and don't bother to come back?" She asked him. "It's not like you haven't done it before." She told him, watching his eyes closely.

"I wouldn't do that ta ya Chere. I love ya. I would never do anything ta casue ya pain. Ya know dat. I tried ta find ya ta say goodbye ta ya, but non o' ya friends would tell me where ya were, an Wolvie was stalkin' de grounds to keep me from sneakin' in." He told her, almost begging her to forgive him.

"Promise?" She asked him, looking him right in the eye, almost daring him to lie to her.

Remy looked deep into her eyes, sensing all the pain and hurt that she had felt throughout her life, and wishing that he could take it all away from her. " I promise Chere. I love ya." He told her.

Rogue felt her eyes soften slightly, as a small smile crept onto her face. She reached up and wrapped her arms around Remy's neck, pulling him to her in a kiss. The pair stayed that way for a while. The two of them locked in a deep kiss, trying to communicate just how much they loved each other through it. When they finally pulled apart, Remy's arms were wrapped tightly around her waist, pulling her close to him, Rogue's arms draped around his neck."Wow Chere. Fer sayin' dat ya ain't done a whole lot o' kissin', ya sure are one hell o' a kisser." He told her, resting his forehead against hers.

"You're not so bad yourself Swamp Rat." She told him, smirking.

"Well, my little River Rat, Remy be de best out dere." He told her, matching her smirk.

Rogue just scoffed. "Ok, first, ah am not a rat; and second, ah'm a little worried 'bout how you know you're the best out there, as that would imply that you've kissed every man on the planet, and ah was led to believe that you didn't swing that way." She told him.

"Chere! Wha' yer tryin' t' say?" He asked her.

"What ah'm saying Cajun, is that your ego needs a good ol' pop before it expands to the point where you and it can't even be in the same room together." She told him.

"Aw, come on now Belle, dat ain't very nice." He told her,nuzzling his face into her neck.

She just laughed. "Yeah, well, truth hurts don't it Bayou Boy?" She told him.

"Hm, wha' 'bout de truths dat ya keepin' from Remy Chere? When do I get t' find out 'bout dem?" He asked her, pulling back slightly to look in her eyes.

"Ah don't know what you're talking 'bout." She told him, turning away from him.

"Sure Chere. Yer act migh' fool ya friends an' famille, but it don' fool me." He told her, seriously.

Rogue sighed and walked over to the window, where she could just make out the Professor and Jean-Luc wondering around the grounds, Storm and Logan following a distance behind with Tante Mattie. "There's a reason ah haven't told anyone 'bout mah past Remy." She told him. "It's not nice, and ah prefer not ta think about it." She added. "Yer Pere scared meh enough a few minutes ago when he told meh that he knew everything. He even knows mah real name." She told him.

"Remy don' understand Chere. Wha's so bad about ya past?" He asked her.

"To answer your question ah would have to tell you about mah past and ah don't want to do that ok?" She asked him. "At least not yet anyway." She added, knowing that he would argue with her if she said that she never had any intention of telling him about it.

"Alrigh' Chere, but promise dat you'll tell me one day?" He asked her.

Rogue turned to him, a small smile on her face. "Of course ah will Rems. Ah love yah. Ah know ah can't hide it from you forever." She promised him. "Ah just need to come to terms with it mahself first." She added.

"Wha' ya mean Rogue?" He asked her, unsure.

Rogue just sighed. "What ah mean is, that ah haven't completely come to terms with mah past mahself yet. With everything that was done to meh, that they made meh do." She told him, her eyes tearing up slightly as memories assaulted her mind of all that had happened to her.

Remy saw the tears in her eyes, and felt the pain and betrayal she was feeling. Knowing better than to ask, he just pulled her to him and rocked her gently, letting her cry it out against his chest, glad that he was able to hold her like this.

After several minutes, Remy decided to break the silence, seeing as she had calmed down slightly. "So chere, ya never did tell Remy wha' course ya wer gona tek 'ere at de university." He told her casually.

Rogue chuckled a little against his chest. "And like ah said, that's because ah haven't decided yet." She returned.

"Well, wha' ya stuck between? Mebe Remy can 'elp ya decide?" He volunteered.

"Ah doubt that Cajun, but seeing as you're so interested ah may as well tell ya." She decided. "The first one is a straight forward architecture course. It's pretty amazing as it allows you to use your artistic ability to create inspirational buildings, as well as having a side course where you just paint and draw certain things and feelings to develop your artistic side." She told him. "And the other is sort of an IT course which incorporates both art and design. So as well as learning all about computer programming, you also get to do that same drawing module and make plans and blueprints on the computer. It sounds really fun, but I'm not sure which would be more useful to meh." She concluded.

Remy smiled softly at her, seeing the smile that crossed her face when she spoke of the courses, knowing that she was really passionate about what she wanted to do. "Chere, ya gotta ask yerself which is da one dat ya wanna do more? At the end of da day, ya gona aft'r do da course, an ya may as well enjoy it." He told her. "Ya'll do better if ya enjoy it." He told her.

Rogue smirked up at him. "Well, thank ya Mr LeBeau for that wonderful little bit of worldly wisdom you just passed on there." She teased him.

Remy just rolled his eyes at her. "I try ta 'elp an' all I get fer me efforts is dat." He stated, frowning up at the ceiling. "Isn' de femme s'posed ta jump up an' kiss moi fer my words o' wisdom which 'elped 'er realise dat should go wit' de course she's more excited 'bout?" He asked.

Chuckling at his behaviour, Rogue stepped back, causing him to look down at her. She then jumped on him, only Remy's quick reflexes keeping them both from tumbling to the ground. "Why, thank you Mr LeBeau, for your wonderful advice. Ah still have no idea which course to go for, but your words of wisdom were sooo helpful." She gushed in a high pitched girly voice.

Remy smirked before looking back up at the ceiling. "Well, dat's a bit better." He told it.


	6. Chapter 6

The next instalment, just as I promised. Please R+R

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Shaking her head, Rogue dipped her head a little and captured his lips in hers, Remy licking her lips gently asking for entrance, which she happily granted. For what felt like hours, the pair battled with their tongues, both of them fighting for dominance, neither willing to yield. That is, until the need for air became too strong and they had to part, both of them just grinning at each other. "You know. Ah think ah might have decided what course to do." She told him.

He looked at her, a single eyebrow raised. "Ya have?" He asked her. Wondering if it was the one he though it would be. Rogue just nodded, but said nothing. "Well? Aren' ya goin' ta tell dis Cajun?" He asked her, curiously.

"Hmmmm. maybe." SHe told him, smiling mischievously.

"Now Chere, dat's not nice. Teasin' poor Remy like dat." He told her, pouting a little, pulling out his puppy dog look.

Rogue just laughed. "That look don't work on me sugah. Ah live in a house with Jamie. The King of the Puppy dog look. Ah've developed an immunity to it." She told him. Remy din't stop, if anything, he just turned it up. Which only caused Rogue to smirk and raise an eyebrow at him. "You know. If the wind were to change direction, your pretty little face would stick like that." She told him.

"Ah but ya be forgettin dat we inside Cherie. Dere be no wind in 'ere." He told her triumphantly.

"Really? Then, what's that?" SHe asked, as she moved her hand slightly, causing a gust of wind to come blowing towards them. Although she may have overdone it a little, as Remy stumbled back, the pair of them landing on the couch, Remy lying ontop of Rogue.

"Ya know, I coul' get used ta dis type o' wind." He told her, smirking.

Rogue shook her head, smiling as she smacked him playfully on the arm. "Alright Cajun, ah get your point, now let me up." She told him, waiting for him to move off of her.

Remy smirked and shook his head. "I don't t'ink so Chere. Remy quite comfy where 'e is." He announced, snuggling closer to her, making it even harder for her to move.

Raising an eyebrow at him, but sensing that he really wasn't going to move willingly without some sort of encouragement. Rogue smirked and managed to move her hand slightly to his side. She carefully began to tickle him there, gently at first, but getting harder as she saw him trying not to laugh. In the end he couldn't take it and he burst out laughing, tears streaming down his face as he wiggled around trying to get away from her. She moved her other hand up to tickle his other side and managed to turn him so that she could get free, however they ended up falling to the floor. Only this time, Rogue was straddling Remy. Much happier with this arrangement, Rogue continued to tickle him for a moment, before she gave him a quick kiss on the lips and climbed off him, walking out the door before he had the chance to get his breath back. She paused in the door to send him a playful smirk over her shoulder before she left the room, deciding to go down the hall to see if she could find the kitchen, after all, she was rather thirsty. She was sure the LeBeau's wouldn't mind if she had a glass of water.

After a minute of taking deep breaths, Remy managed to suitably calm himself to the extent that he could wipe away his tears and stand up to go and find Rogue, determined to get her back for tickling him into submission like that. Although he had to admit, that he hadn't laughed like that since he was a boy and he and Henri used to muck around in the gardens. Shaking his head to clear the thoughts from his mind, he carefully reached out with his empathy, searching for Rogue, slightly surprised to find her in the kitchen. He made his way towards her, quietly pushing open the kitchen door and peeking inside, where he found her drinking from a large glass of water. Her moves seemed almost sensuous, and as she finished off the glass and rand her tongue over her lips, he thought that she must be able to hear his heart pounding in his chest. She then turned back to the sink and began to wash up the glass she had used, before drying it and putting it back in th cupboard where she had found it. She was just reaching for the tea towel when the Cajun snuck up behind her and began to tickle her sides, one hand moving up to her underarms.

Within seconds Rogue was in fits of giggles, her laughter ringing out throughout the hallways, where the others were just making their way back to the room where they had been before. However, when they heard Rogue's laugh, they all redirected themselve to the kitchen sensing that that was where the missing pair were. "Remy, hahahahaha, stop, ah'm gonna, hahahahahahahaha drop the-" before she could get any further, Rogue's legs buckled and caved, and the glass she was holding slipped from in between her still wet hands, where she had been trying desperately not to drop it. Suddenly their was a smash followed by a loud gasp. They all hurried to the kitchen, worried that one of them was hurt. They pushed open the door only to find the pair frozen, staring at the broken glass on the floor.

Rogue glared at Remy. "You stupid Cajun!" She exclaimed, slapping him on the arm, non too gently either. "Now look what you gone and done. You just couldn't wait for meh to put the glass down like a normal person could you?" She accused.

"OW! Chere, dat 'urt!" He told her, clutching his arm.

"Aw, suck it up hot shot, and find meh a dustpan and brush. You are going to take meh into town later and ah am going to replace that glass. Ah cannot believe you made me do that. Ah don't know how your poor Tante manages to put up with you sometimes Swamp Rat." She told him, as she crouched down, beginning to pick up some of the larger pieces with her hands, being carefully to avoid the sharp edges so that she didn't cut herself.

Remy grumbled as he moved away from her to fetch the dustpan and brush, only to find the rest of his family as well as the Xavier crowed stood in the doorway, most of them grinning or trying to muffle their laughter. Remy once again froze, surprised to see them there, and more, that he hadn't heard them coming. "Er, Chere?" He called softly.

"What now Cajun? Can't you see ah'm a little busy cleanin up this mess? And ah don't see that dust pan and brush ah told you to fetch meh." She told him, the scowl evident from her tone of voice.

"Cherie." He called again, nudging her slightly, trying to get her to turn away from the glass to the crowd that was now plainly guffawing into their hands. His family more so that the Xavier crowd, after all, they had never seen Remy get burned so much by a fille. They were obviously impressed with Rogue, but Remy had spotted Tante Mattie in the back and was slightly worried that she was going to start brandishing her wooden spoon at him.

"Swamp Rat!" She exclaimed, his nudge causing her to cut herself with the glass, making her hiss slightly. She jumped to her feet, wheeling on Remy. "What did you do that for? Now look what you gone and made meh do!" She shouted at him, tossing the glass into the bin in front of her, before holding her hand closer to her face so that she could try and see if there was any glass in it.

"Rogue!" He sighed, frustrated that she wasn't getting the picture yet that there was a crowd watching them.

By now, completely furious with him, Rogue whirled around to yell at the idiot Cajun, only to come face to face with the rest of the group, both her family and his, all stood their laughing into their hands, tears running down several people's cheeks. Horrified, Rogue, moved slightly to try and cover up the glass, and gave a sheepish grin. "Er, so how long have you all been stood there?" She asked hesitantly, hoping that they didn't know what had happened.

"Since just after you dropped that glass." Jean-Luc told her, being the first to get his breath back.

Rogue blushed horribly. Embarrassed at what she had done. "Ah'm so sorry. Ah promise ah'll replace that glass. And ah'll clean up the mess." She promised. She then elbowed Remy in the stomach, eliciting a small 'oomph' from him. "Dustpan and brush?" She reminded him, glaring.

"Right." He replied, quickly fetching it from the other side of the room whilst Rogue sighed and turned back to the mess she had made, muttering about stupid cajun swamp rats and their stupid tickling fingers, causing the audience to grin and smirk at the pair. Rogue threw a few more of the larger pieces into the bin, and Remy returned with the dustpan and brush, Tante Mattie and Kitty moving to help her.

"Don't come any closer, either of you. This is mah mess. Ah'll clean it up." She announced.

"But Rogue, you've like, cut yourself." Kitty protested.

"It's fine." She told her.

"Mein schwester, if you are hurt, please let one of us help you." Kurt begged her, hating it when Rogue got hurt, after all, she had already been hurt so many times in her life.

"Kurt ah'm fine. The swamp rat's helping meh. See? He's finally brought meh the dustpan and brush ah asked for 5 minutes ago." She announced quite calmly, glaring at the swamp rat in question, causing more laughing from Remy's family, all of them deciding quite firmly that they liked Rogue very much.


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry about the delay in updating, turns out Mandarin is a hard language to learn, go figure.

Anywho, here is the next chapter, hope you enjoy it! Please let me know what you think.

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"Kurt ah'm fine. The swamp rat's helping meh. See? He's finally brought meh the dustpan and brush ah asked for 5 minutes ago." She announced quite calmly, glaring at the swamp rat in question, causing more laughing from Remy's family, all of them deciding quite firmly that they liked Rogue very much.

"Chere dat's not very nice. It's not Remy's fault yer were so careless." He told her.

Rogue finished sweeping up the glass and quickly dumped it into the bin, before she calmly placed them on the table and turned to the cajun. Making sure that there was plenty of space around them so that he wouldn't get hurt to bad, she quickly dropped and swung her leg out, sweeing Remy's legs out from under him, causing him to crash to the floor. "If your idiot self hadn't decided it would be a good idea to tickle meh whilst ah had a glass in mah we hands, then none of this would of happened." She told him, in that deathly sweet voice of hers, that they all knew was dangerous for anyone it was used against. Remy just gulped but didn't say anything. Rogue then turned back to the group stood in the doorway. "Sorry about that." She told Tante Mattie and Jean-Luc, after all, the last thing she wanted to do was upset the pair that had ben so kin to her since she had gotten here, and was, after all the Professors friend.

Jean-Luc smiled at her. "Ya needn't worry fille. Mons Fils be a fool at times. He deserved it." He announced to her.

Mattie nodded. "He sure did. I don' know where dose mannors I taught 'im 'av gone." SHe shook her head disapprovingly at Remy, still lying on the floor. "Now chil' let's get a look at dat arm o' yours." She told her, taking hold of Rogue's arm, and running it under the water and squeezing it gently, to push out any little pieces of glass that may have gotten stuck in it. She was just about to reach for a plaster when Rogue stopped her.

"That's ok Ma'am. Ah can fix this bit mahself." She told her.

"Wha' on earth are ya talkin' 'bout chil'. Ya need a band aid on dat righ' now." She told her, frowning at Rogue's smile.

"No, ah can heal mahself. Watch." She told her. Rogue quickly tapped into Logan's healing ability and the cut began to close, until it was impossible to tell that it had even been there just a few moments before. Rogue opened her eyes and looked down, smiling when she saw that it was worked. "There we go. All better." She announced.

"Rogue, I think it's time for us to be going." The professor announced, amused.

"Oh, of course Professor." She replied. She turned to the LeBeau's, Remy just beginning to sit up. "Thank you so much for the opportunity you gave meh." She thanked Jean-Luc. The man just smiled at her.

"T'ink not'in of it Petite. From all I 'ear ya deserve it, an we'd be honored ta 'ave ya down 'ere." He told her. Rogue just smiled at him, before turning to Henri and Mercy.

"It's been great to see you both again. Ah'm sorry we didn't get more chance to talk some more. You never did finish telling meh bout the swamp rats embarassing moments." She smirked, glancing at Remy out of the corner of her eye, only to see him glaring at his brother and wife.

They chuckled. "We bin pleased ta meet ya Rogue, an' don' worry 'bout da stories. Ah'll send them ta ya in an e-mail. I 'ave ya adress." Mercy told her. Henri just chuckling at his brothers face, which was clearly glaring at him and telling him to control Mercy.

Rogue just grinned and nodded before turning to Tante Mattie. "Ah'm really sorry about that glass. Ah promise to buy ya a new one. A real nice one to." She promised. "But it's been an honour to meet the person that managed ot raise this cajun." She told her, smiling and she poked Remy slightly with her foot.

Tante Mattie just grinned. "Thank ya chil'. But don't ya worry non 'bout dat glass. Dese t'ings 'appen. We lost plenty o' crockery when Remy were a boy." She told her. "But I insist ya call me Tante." She told her sternly, her mind already picking out dress patterns and venues for the wedding that was destined to take place between this girl and Remy. After all, no other girl had ever managed to control Remy like she had.

"Alright then Tante." She replied. The then rounded on Remy. "And you." She told him, narrowing her eyes slightly at him, and he took a cautious step back. "You will come by the hotel in a couple of hours and you come with me to buy Tante a new glass. You damn fool." She told him, giving him another slap, before hugging him.

Remy seemed to expect the slap but not the hug, and got a happy grin on his face when he realised what she was doing wasn't going to hurt him any. He hugged her back, but didn't want to let her go when she pulled away. "Er, Rems, you can let go now." She told him sofly.

"Non." He announced.

"Remy. Don't make meh hit you again. If you don't let meh go right now, ah'll not only drag you along with meh to buy a glass, but ah will invite Kitty and Mercy to come on a shopping spree with meh, and make you carry all the bags." She threatened, smirking at him. Remy dropped her like a hot potato, knowing how bad Mercy could be and he was pretty sure that Kitty would be worse, not to mention Rogue when she was in full shopper mode.

"Ok, Remy let ya go 'ome fer a while den Chere." He told her. Grinning at her.

Rogue just chuckled. "Sure cajun. Just make sure you are outside the Bon Belle Hotel at 4:30, got it?" She told him. Remy nodded nad she turned away and back to the professor. "Ok, Professor. Ah'm ready." She announced cheerfully.

"Very well Rogue. Why don't you and the others go and get in the car. I will join you in a moment." He suggested. Rogue nodded and with a final curtsey to Jean-Luc, she walked out of the room and outside the house, Henri, Mercy and Remy following the Xavier group, so that the two older men could say their goodbyes in peace. As soon as they steped ou of the house they found the same car waiting to take them back to the hotel. The driver coming aorund to hold the door open for them. Storm ushered Logan in first, then followed him inside with a final wave to the LeBeaus. Jean then practically threw Scott in the car, and followed herself, kurt was then pushed into the car by Kitty who gracefully slid in behind him, smiling and waving at the LeBeaus. Finally only Rogue was left and as she gracefully and elegantly slid into the back of the car like a pro, they all stared a little, none of them having expected her to be able to do that. Remy felt his curiosity about her past grow, and decided to ask his father a couple of questions later on, knowing that Henri and Mercy would be doing the same.

As soon as the Professor had been helped into the car, Rogue and Jean using their telekinesisto help him inside, whilst the driver stashed the Prof's chair in the trunk. They all waved goodbye to each other, although the LeBeau's were all curious about Rogue, especially since they had her slide in the car like that. There was only a handful of thieves that could do something like that as gracefully as she did. They wondered how may cars like that she had slide into the back of when she was younger.

Once they were out of sight the 5 all walked back into the house, all of them folllowing Jean-Luc into his study, wantin a few answers about the Rogue. "Alrigh' Pere, spill it." Henri told him as they all took a seat in front of his desk.

Jean-Luc raised an eyebrow at them all. "I don' know wha' yer on about mon fils." He told him, turning to the paperwork that was sat innocently on his desk, vying for his attention.

"Yes ya do Pere. Chere tol' me dat ya knew 'bout her past. Freaked 'er out. Now wha's goin' on?" Remy asked, wanting to know exactly what had happened to her.

The regal man behind the desk sighed as he put the paperwork down. "A lot as 'appened ta de fille. I'm not sure i's my place ta say." He told them, a somber look on his face, which only served to worry them more, Remy especially.

"Look Pere. We're not gonna tell 'er dat ya tol' us. We jus' wanna know so dat we can 'elp 'er if we nned ta. So dat we can be dere fer 'er." He argued.

Jean-Luc looked up at the people in front of him, knowing that he had to tell them something, but not wanting to tell them everything. After all, it really wasn't his place to do that. "Fine. But I can only give ya an overview. De rest is fer 'er ta tell ya." He told them, watching them sternly until they all nodded. He sighed again before starting. "After our lil conversation wit' Charles las' nigh', I 'ad a couple of people do a lil digging on 'er. Foun' out who she really was. I was a bit suprised when I saw de paperwork. De poor fill 'as been used, abused and thrown away at de end of it all. Her real name is Madamoiselle Massot. I'm not gona tell ya 'er firs' name 'cause I know one o' ya will end up callin' 'er by it and dat woul' show dat I broke my word t' 'er." He told them. He then turned back to his paperwork, giving them all a silent dismissal. As they all stood to walk out, Jean-Luc looked up again. "Oh, 'n' mon fils?" He called, both Remy and Henri turning around. "Don' lose dis one. She's special." He told Remy.

Remy smirked. "I know Pere. B'lieve me, I know." He muttered as he turned and walked out of the room.

Back in the car there was a lot of chatter going on. "Wow, there place is, like, amazing. Henri and Mercy gave us the tour, and I would never have, like, thought that there could be so many rooms all under one roof. It took, like, forever to et around it." She told them group.

"Kitty, don't you think you're exaggerating just a little?" Rogue asked ther excited girl next to her.

Kitty scoffed. "Well, like, how would you know Rogue? You were too busy, like, getting it on with Remy." She teased her, grining mischievously.

"Ah don't know what you're talking 'bout Kit." Rogue announced, turning to look out of the window.

THere were a few chuckles in the car, all of them knowing that Rogue and Remy were a good couple. They just seemed to fit together. "Like, sure Rogue. Deny it all you want, we, like, know th truth." She told her.

"And that would be?" Rogue asked her firend, a single eyebrow raised.

"That, Remy is, like, totally in love with you. And we know that you like him too." She told her, arms crossed proudly, as though she knew she was right. Rogue knew she couldn't deny it, so just 'hmm'-ed a little as she looked out of the window.

There was a short silence in the car, all of them having expected Rogue to put up a fight with Kitty and deny it all, however it seemed that she was almost accepting it as the truth. This caused Logan, Scott and Kurt to frown a little, after all, th boy had been an acolyte back in the day. Not to mention the time he had kidnapped her. "So, Rogue, I didn't know you could speak French so well?" Jean asked her, figuring that a change in topic was in order.

Rogue turned back to face the car and gave a small smile. "Yeah, ah learnt it a long time ago. Suprised ah still remeber so much." SHe mused.

"But you didn't do French in school. You took Spanish instead. Vhy?" Kurt asked her, curious.

Rogue sighed. "Ah didn't really see the point in doing a language ah was already fluent in. Ah wouldn't have learnt anything new. But as mah SPanish was a little rusty, ah figured ah should brush up o it a lil bit." She told them, shrugging slightly as if it was no big deal.

"Wait a moment, how many laguages do you know?" Scott asked, sensing that there was more to this than met the eye.

"Erm, well, probably about 8 in total. Although ah haven't used some of them for a long time. Ah've probably forgotten a lot of it." She told the shel-shocked people in front of her.

"How come you never told us you knew so much?" Storm asked her curiously.

Rogue shrugged again. "Ah didn't think it was important." She told them.

"How come you know so many? There aren't even 8 languages taught in schools." Jean asked her.

Rogue looked away, not comfortable with the direction this conversation was taking. "From mah past. Something ah would rather not talk about." She told them, her tone letting them know that that conversation was over.

The remaining few minutes left before they reached the hotle were spent in silence, all of them thinking about how little they really knew about Rogue. As soon as they arrived, Rogue and Jean helped the profesor out of the car and into his chair, before climbing out themselves, only this time Rogue was one of the first to be helped out by the driver, again slightly suprising the others with how graceful and elegant she looked as she did it as the other women in the car tried to copy her, doing better than they had at first, but not quite as well as Rogue.

The group made their way through the lobby and into the lounge area so that they could talk about their plans for the rest of the afternoon and evening. "So my children, what are you all doing this evening?" The Professor asked them, smiling at them.

"Well, Jean and I spoted a little jazz club when we were out walking the other night and thought we might give that a go." Scott shrugged.

"Which one?" Rogue asked curious, knowing that there were a couple of Jazz clubs around here that yu really didn't want to be going into.

"Er, Jazz bliss, I think." He told her, suprised that someone had taken an interest.

"Don't go there. It always ends up in a brawl. That place has been smashed more times than tthe institute doors when Sam's around. Try Jazzy Joe's instead. It's a real nice place, and I think you'll find you enjoy it more." She suggested.

"Jazzy Joe's? Where's that?" Jean asked curiously.

"Cut through the park, and it's on the other side of the road when you come out at the other end after following the path. It's a popular place, but a lot nicer and you don't run the risk of coming home with a black eye." She told them.

"Ok, thanks Rogue, we'll try that." Jean told her, smiling. Rogue just nodded. Everyone turned to Kitty.

"Oh, Kurt and I are, like going to see that film. It's local, so we thought it would be really good to learn a little more about the place before we leave." She told them. "You're, like, welcome to come with us Rogue." Kitty offered her friend sat next to her.

Rogue smiled at the girl. "Thanks Kit, but that's ok. Ah have to go shopping to find a new glass for Tante Mattie. It'll probalby take all night if that stupid cajun's coming with meh." She rolled her eyes, whilst the other just smiled knowingly at her. "What about you guys?" She asked the Prof, Storm and Logan.

"Well, Jean-Luc inveited me to a show with him and Mattie. Logan and Storm are invited to." He told them.

"That sounds nice. Well, if you'll excuse meh. Ah need to go get ready for this shopping trip. Ah'm thinking body armour and a taser. A little much maybe?" She asked them, smirking at the laughs she got. She then left the room and went to get ready.

As soon as she reached the room, Rogue closed the door and breathed a huge sigh of relief. 'Ah can't believe how much has happened in just a few hours.' She thought to herself. 'But that was definitely more time spent on mah past than ah'm comfortable with.' She looked up annoticed something sat on her bed. Turning her hea so that she could get a better look a it, she saw that it was a large bouqet of roses. She noticed a card tucked into the side. Pulling it out she saw her name scribbled on the envelope. She shifted the roses slightly so that she could use her hands to open the envelope.

'Mon Belle Chere,

Merci for a bon time at the ball last night. Hope that we can dance together again sometime. Looking forward to out shopping trip, but I think I should take you bikini shopping instead. As long as I get to see you try them on that is. :-D

See you soon Chere,

Remy xxx'

Rogue shook her head at the card, but couldn't help the little smile that crept onto her face as she pocketed the card, knowing that if Kitty or anyone else saw it they would never leave her alone about it for months. Scott,Kurt and Logan would nag at her not to do anything with the idiot, to just hit him and run if he ever tried anything. Or better yet, hit him and then call them so tha they could finish him off. Cajun Shishkebobs didn't sound like a great idea to Rogue. She sighed and walked into the bathroom where she found a large, and rather tall glass to put the roses in, so she filled it up with water.


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you everyone for your reviews, and sorry about the humongous delay in my update, it's exam result time and I've been a bit preoccupied. Plus I've been trying to think about where exactly I'm going with this story, and I've got to say that I have absolutely no idea.

A special dedication to ChereBelleRogue who gave me a much needed kick up the derriere to get the story moving again. Thanks. :-)

Anywho, thanks so much for the reviews, and I hope that you enjoy the next chapter. Let me know what you think.

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She had just walked back into the room and placed the roses in the vase when Kitty walked in and saw the rose in her room mates hands. "Like, oh my god Rogue! Who are they from?" She squeled, running over to her, inspecting the flowers for a card of some kind.

Rogue just shrugged calmly, as she finished putting them in the glass. "Ah don't know Kit. Ah just found them lying on mah bed when ah walked in." She told her. She glanced over to Kitty's bed and smirked. "Although from the looks of things, you've got your own admirer there sugah." SHe told her, nodding in the direction of her bed.

Kitty turned to look where she was indicating, and saw a bouqet of all different pink and pale purple flowers. Kitty's face split into a huge grin and she clutched the flowers to her. "Oh my god, this is like, so sweet." She gushed as she spun around in the room, clutching the flowers.

Rogue chuckled. "So Kit, who you get them there flowers off?" Rogue asked, although she had a good idea already.

"Er, lets see. Oh, here's a card. It says: 'Dear Kitty, you looked beautiful in your dress last night, and I wanted to thank you for dancing with me all night. You are a very good dancer, and I hope that you wouldn't object to meeting up with me again before you leave town.' Aww, that's, like, so sweet." She gushed.

"Wow, KitKat. Looks like we should have been keeping our eyes on you. What's all this about?" She asked her, teasing her friend.

Kity just blushed and mumbled something before running to the bathroom to find another glass to put her flowers in, leaving Rogue chuckling as she watched her. Neither of them noticing the pair of gray eyes that watched the pair.

When she walked back into the room, Rogue was sat on her bed, waiting patiently for Kitty so that she could find out who this guy was, so that she could check him out with the Cajun swamp rat when he came to pick her up in half an hour. "So?" Rogue asked, watching her expectantly from her bed as Kitty blushed and turned the flowers this way and that on her nightstand.

"What are you, like, talking about Rogue?" Kitty asked, feigning innocence.

Rogue grinned, enjoying the way that Kitty was blushing and trying so hard to avoid talking about this. However Rogue was far too used to this kind of thing. "I think you know KitKat, so I suggest you come and sit here and tell me all about what you were up to last night whilst our eyes were elsewhere." She suggested.

Kitty looked over at her friend and roomate and knew from the look on her face that she wasn't going to be able to get out of this conversation, at least, not with Rogue. With a sigh, she slumped down onto the bed, next to Rogue and fiddled with her hands nervously. "Well, do you remember me pointing out that guy as we were walking to the table? You know, the tall one with the blonde hair, the blue eyes?" Kitty reminded her.

"The pretty one?" Rogue checked, remembering the way Kitty had been pointing out all the pretty boys. She smirked slightly at the eye roll she received from that one but managed to keep Kitty from seeing.

"Yes, the pretty one. Well, after the first dance, he came and asked me to dance with him. He was really sweet and everything, and whilst we danced we started talking." She explained a happy grin on her face. "He's amazing Rogue, he writes poetry in his spare time, loves all kinds of music, mostly going for songs instead of groups, but said that Nickelback are really good to listen to with some of the stuff he's seen." Kitty told her, before blushing slightly. "And I could just get sooo lost looking into his eyes." She added.

Rogue chuckled at her friends enthusiasm, pleased that this guy liked her and she liked him, although she couldn't deny that she was a little worried about what would happen when the time came for them to leave to go back to New York. She was also more determined than ever to check this guy out with Remy so that she could make sure he wouldn't break her heart. 'Lord knows, the poor girls been through enough of that already what with that idiot Lance.' She thought to herself with a mental sigh. "So, does Mr Blue Eyes have a name or what?" Rogue asked him with a smile.

"His name's Carlo." Kitty told her with a huge grin. "Isn't that a beautiful name. I love the way it sounds. Carlo." She stated, smiling as she repeated it.

"Very snappy." Rogue nodded, mock seriously.

Kitty caught the tone and giggle, before shoving Rogue slightly and grabbing a pillow to whack her with.

Not going to stand for that, Rogue grabbed the other pillow on the bed and began sotting Kitty wih it, the pair laughing as they continued to hit each other, especially when Kitty had opened her mouth to say something to Rogue only to have it filled with pillow, causing the pair to dissolve into girlish giggles so badly that there were tears streaming down their cheeks and they didn't have the strength left in them to whack.

Outside of the room, the owner of a pair of grey eyes felt a smirk cover his face. He'd found her. After all this time he had found her. 'Boss is going to be very pleased.' He thought to himself, as he watched the pillow fight in the room and saw Rogue's eyes go to the flowers on her bedside table. He's seen her reading the card, and was pleased that he had gone into the room before she'd entered so that he knew who had sent them.

As the pair sat up on the bed, he saw the younger, brunette girl come towards the window, and ducked underneath so that he wouldn't be seen.

When Kitty opened the window he was able to clearly hear what was being said inside. "Big mistake Roisin. You should know better than that." He whispered to himself.

"So, you're going shopping wih Remy?" Kitty stated, and he knew just from her tone of voice that there was a smirk on her face. 'Guess this Remy guy is a crush or something.

"Yeah, ah broke Tante's glass, ah have to buy her a new one, it's only polite. If ah get to give him a few heart attacks whilst ah'm at it, so much the better." Rogue shrugged, trying to be nonchalant.

"Sure, more like buy the first glass you see then spend the rest of the night making out somewhere." Kitty told her, squealing when Rogue threw a pillow at her.

"Ah don't know what yah mean Kit." Rogue retorted, with a secret smirk. She glanced at the clock and sighed. "Do yah think this'll be ok to go in, or should ah change?" She asked her.

"You look great Rogue, besides, if you really want to convince him that this shopping trip isn't a big deal then you shouldn't change. It'll just make him think that you see it as something more than a shopping trip." Kitty told her.

"Yah right. Ah'll stay in this, although ah think ah'll change the shoes. Flats are easier for shopping and running, so ah can lose him in the mall." She chuckled, easily able to imagine the look on his face when she disappeared.

Kitty laughed. "Are you serious? There's no way Remy's going to let you out of his sight. You won't get further than 3 feet before he's caught up with you." Kitty told her matter of factly.

"True. But on a more serious topic, how do you think weh're going to sell the rehearsal to the others tomorrow?" Rogue asked her.

"What do you mean?" Kitty asked, curiously.

"Well, weh told Marianne that we'd be in her show right?" Rogue explained, wating for Kitty's nod. "Well, weh can't just go down to breakfast tomorrow and tell the others 'weh're in a dance show so weh've got rehearsal's all day so weh can't hand with yah.' For starters can yah imagine the look on Logan's face?" Rogue told her, both girls shuddering slightly, easily able to imagine the over-reaction of the older man.

"Well ,we could, like, say that we want to explore?" Kitty reasoned.

"Not unless weh want Jean and Scott to invite themselves along." Rogue pointed out. "We can't say dance class either, no matter what type somone'll want to come with us." She added with a slight sigh.

"Oh, I, like, see what you mean." There was a moment's silence as both girls tried to come up with something that would get them out of having to spend the day with the others and also without anyone wanting to tag along. "Well, what about saying MercY invited you to spend the day with her, and you're taking me so that you're not on your own?" Kitty suggestd.

Rogue thought about it for a minute. "Yah know that might just work." Rogue realised. "Nice one Kit." Rogue told her, high fiving her. "Ah'll talk to Remy and see if he can arrange her to cover for cover for us or somethin'." She promised her.

"Ok, well, you'd, like, better get down to the lobby. Remy'll be her any minute and you cna gurantee that Logan and Scott will be down there, like interrogating him or something totally bogus like that." Kitty told her.

"Shoot, yah're right. Ah'd better go. Yah be alright?" Rogue checked as she stood, grabbing her purse off the bed.

"We'll be fine Rogue, Kurt and I are going to see that filme remember?" Kitty assured her.

"Ok, well, enjoy, and ah'll see yah later." Rogue told her, waving as she walked out of the room, quickly checking her purse to make sure she'd got the key with her.

"Same to you, just don't deny your attraction too much Rogue. Why bother?" Kitty chuckled at the face Rogue pulled as she closed the door.

Outside the window, grey eyes watched Rogue close the door, before dropping down from his spot underneath the window onto the fire escape and quickly, running round to the front of the building so that he could see her walk out with this Remy guy.

Back inside, Rogue reached the Lobby to find Remy already stood there, a rather amused expression on his face as Logan and Scott stood there, lecturing him about the do's and don't's for this shopping trip. She caught his eye as she came down the stairs and he waggled his eyebrows at her, making her chuckle.

Rogue fought back the blush threatening to cover her face at the way Remy was watching her, his eyes never leaving her as she got closer. He seemed to be the only one who'd noticed her presence though as Scott and Logan were still continuing with their sermon. "And if we find that you've laid a single finger on her bub, you're cajun shishkebabs." Logan growled at him.

Clearing her throat, Rogue raised an eyebrow as the pair turned to look at her, not even having the decency to look sheepish about having been caught lecturing Remy. "If yah've quite finished, weh'll be leaving now." She stated, walking past them and grabbing Remy's arm, pulling him with her outside.

"So, ma cherie, where are we goin'?" He asked her with a smirk as he stepped forward and held open the car door for her, bowing slightly as she walked forward and slid inside, chuckling at him.

Remy shut the door behind her and quickly moved round to the drivers side and got in behind the wheel, the car roaring to life as he waited to be told where he was going. "Ah thought the mall'd be a good place to start." She shrugged, smiling at him. "What happened to yah bike anyway?" She asked as Remy pulled away from his parking spot and weaved his way expertly through the traffic.

"Remy borrowed Henri's car. He 'as too many anyway. He won' even know it's gone." He assured her with a smirk, making Rogue laugh. He was glad that he could do that, and amazed by how beautiful it was.

He had kept his eyes trained on the front entrance to the hotel, knowing that any minute know she would be walking out he here with some guy. He was getting impatient. He wanted to get back so he could report the good news to his boss and get some rest. There was going to be a huge reward in this for him and he couldn't wait to see it. "Bingo." He breathed, as Rogue walked out with Remy. He chuckled when he saw the guy. "Well, well, well. The Prince of Thieves Remy LeBeau." He shook his head. "She made this way too easy."

With a quiet chuckle, he turned and slipped into the darkness, keeping to the shadows as he hurried back to deliver his news, his targets blissfully unaware that he was watching them. He knew that if either of them had seen him they would have recognised him, especially Rogue. Little did he know what lay in store for them.


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry I've been so long in updating, but University doesn't really allow all that much time for writing.

I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has reviewed and favourited my story and I really hope that you like this chapter.

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It was only a few minutes before Remy was pulling into a parking space at the mall, pausing before he cut the engine, pulling the keys out of the ignition.

Rogue watched him out of the corner of her eye, she knew there was something he wanted to say, but that he wasn't sure whether or not it would be a good idea. "Yah can say what yah want Rems. No need to look so awkward." She told him gently with a smirk.

He looked up, surprised that she had caught him so easily, having thought that he'd been disguising his inner struggle. "Desole Chere." He sighed. "I was jus' t'inkin' bout stuff I shouldn' be." He told her, shaking his head, forcing himself to forget it and smile at her, not about to let her know that his father had told him something of her past.

"Ah know there's more to that, but ah know that yah won't tell me if yah don't want to." She told him, before climbing out of the car, knowing that this was a conversation that could very easily go in a direction she wouldn't want it to.

"Ok, where t' first Chere?" He asked her, locking the car as he fell into step beside her as they walked towards the entrance.

"Ah have no idea Cajun." She stated, pausing in the entrance and looking around, hoping to be struck by some sort of inspiration, glaring slightly at Remy when he chuckled.

"Well, let's tek a petit strole whil' yer decidin non?" He suggested with a smirk, draping an arm around her shoulders.

Meanwhile, in Benson, Louisiana, in a large warehouse on the outskirts of town, there was a meeting in progress.

"For 8 years our plans have been on hold. The one we trained, the one we sculpted, the only one with the power and ability to pull off what we need done escaped, and for 8 years we have been searching for her. To bring her back." The leader announced, rising from his seat at the head of the table.

The other occupants of the table all watched him, not sure where he was going with this. Every meeting started off with the same thing, his rage at how she had managed to elude them for so long. Inevitably, someone ended up getting hurt, and every person at the table was praying for the same thing . . . that it wasn't going to be them.

"Finally, we have good news." He announced, a slight tinge of relief to his frustrated tone as he straightened up, no longer leaning on the table as his left hand beckoned to someone in the corner of the room; someone who had gone unnoticed by all of them as they entered, took their seats and chatted before the meeting.

Now this figure stepped forward. This formidable shadow of a figure, only his bright grey eyes making him recognisable. "Master." He bowed deeply to the figure at the head of the table, and after a slight pause, he was signalled to rise.

"Tell us of your findings." He instructed, sinking into his overly large and decorated chair.

THe grey-eyed man stepped forward, turning slightly so that everyone at the table could see him. "As you are all aware, for the past 2 years I have been searching for Roisin. I took on the duty when my predecessor had failed to turn up anything after 6 years of searching. I confess it has taken me longer than I had expected to find her, but I have. I've found her, and she's right here in Louisiana." He announced, a small smile playing on his lips, pausing when the loud cries of joy and shock errupted from the table.

It took several moments for everyone to quieten down, and the man once again looked to the head of the table for permission to continue. Once he had received his blessing he raised his head, beginning to stroll around the table as he delivered his news. "I expect the reason that she has eluded us for so many years is that she has hidden her past from everyone in her life. She changed her name, twice, and has fallen in with other mutants. Currently in the care of the ever-popular Professor Charles Xavier. She has been living at his 'school' for the past 5 years and before that was in the care of Mystique, the right hand woman of Magneto." He explained, looking everyone in the eye as he walked around the table.

"If she is with the infamous Professor Xaivier, then what is she doing in Louisiana? The school is in New York." The leader asked, narrowing his eyes slightly at the man delivering the news, not trusting him completely until he knew the whole story, well aware that he would be willing to make up a load of rubbish in order to get his hands of his reward and escape the punishment for failure.

"The school is, but the good Professor has recently found a friend from his army days, and in celebration the friend invited them down here for a big party to celebrate their reunion. Roisin came down as part of the group." He straightened as he delivered this news, before smirking. "It is this friend that I find the most pleasing news." He confessed, enjoying the suspense he could feel hanging in the room as they all held their breath waiting to find out who this friend was.

"And this friend is, who exactly?" The leader asked, not appearing amused or excited in any way.

"Well, the friend of the Professors turns out to be Jean-Luc LeBeau, Leader of the Thieves Guild in New Orleans." He announced, pausing once again at the loud cries of shock and surprise that burst from the room. This time even the leader leaned forward in his chair, taken in by this turn of events.

"I'm sure you brought evidence of such findings with you, and I shall view those in a moment, but first I ask if that is all of your findings?" The leader spoke, leaning back in his chair again, sensing that there was something else this man had not told him yet.

"No, it is not everything. There is one other thing I have found. The Guild leaders son, Remy LeBeau. He is very taken with her, and she seems to return his feelings. They are as close to boyfriend and girlfriend as she can get with her powers." He announced, now letting the smirk cover his face, well aware how good this news was to his master.

Everyone turned to the man at the head of the table, watching as he laughed gleefully, quickly calming himself, but the evil smile remained. "Well, well, well. That is interesting." He mused, rising and climbing down from his seat and moving to one side of the room where a large chest was stood on a table. "You have done well Carlo. You shall have your reward." He stated, beckoning the grey-eyed man closer to him.

Carlo moved closer, excited about getting his hands on so much gold. This was one group of people who never dealt with cash. If they ever offered to pay cash, it usually meant that you would be killed off when you completed to job. As he reached the mans side, he once agian bowed respectfully, and waited to be signalled to rise.

"Thank you. Now, if you present me with your evidence I shall give you your payment." He stated, holding his hand out for the pictures he was expected to have taken.

"Of course." He nodded, pulling a handful of photos from his inner pocket and handing them to the leader.

"There are less than I would have liked." He commented, before looking through them, smiling slightly when he saw her there, her hair and features slightly different, more mature than when he had last seen her. She seemed happy as she danced and laughed with Remy LeBeau, and the other members of the institute. 'Foolish girl, I know we taught you better than that.' He thought to himself as he gazed at her for a long moment.

Once he had composed himself, he turned to Carlo, nodded to let him know that these were satisfactory. "50 pounds was the agreed weight, was it not?" He asked, knowing that it was, but measureing how trustworthy this spy was.

"It was master." Carlo assured him, knowing exactly what was going on and not about to fall into the trap, no matter how tempting it was when he saw the contents of the chest. He knew that the penalty for such was death, and he had no intention of getting himself killed at the hands of these men.

"Good." He nodded, before weighing out 50 pounds on the scales next to the chest, before bagging it up and passing it to Carlo. "You did well. You may hear from us in the future." He told him with a nod, before clicking his fingers and ordering the guard that entered to show him out.

There was a long silence as they waited for the pair to be well out of earshot before the leader walked back to the head of the table. "Well gentleman, we have good news at last." He commented, smiling at them all, enjoying the way he sent shivers down their spines. "Anyone up for a little road trip?" He asked.

x x x x

Rogue was looking around the glassware of the large department store they had found at the end of the mall, but didn't really like anything that she saw. Remy assured her that any old glass would do, having gotten bored of looking at so many different glasses for the past hour, but Rogue wanted it to be special. She knew what she was looking for, she was just having a hard time finding it. Sighing, she turned to Remy. "Aren't there any smaller, vintage type shops around here?" She asked him eventually.

"Sure Chere, but I t'ought ya wanted de mall?" He asked her, feeling slightly more cheerful at the thought of getting out of the shop they had been walking round for the past hour.

"Great, lets try there." She nodded, following him out of the shop and back into the mall parking lot. She was just about to climb into the car when something caught her eye. She followed the little spot of colour she had seen and realised it was a shop front. "Wait, what's that over there?" She asked, closing tha car door and walking away towards the shop.

Sighing, Remy slammed the car door and locked the car before jogging after Rogue to catch up with her. "Chere, aren' we s'posed ta be leavin' de mall?" He asked her, frustrated that he wasn't getting anywhere with her at the moment.

"Ah know, but this shop has glassware, so weh might as well try there before we leave." She stated, glancing over at him and smiling at the dejected look on his face. "No need to look so sad cajun, as soon as ah've got this glass, we can go grab somethin' to eat or whatever." She told him, nudging him slightly with a smile, laughing at the way his face perked straight up.

"Right den Chere, what we waitin' for." He told her, grabbing hold of her hand and running towards the store, smiking at the little scream that escaped her as she ran to keep from being dragged along the ground.

As soon as they walked in the shop Rogue smiled. 'This is it. This is what I've been looking for.' She thought to herself, smiling at all the different types and colours of glass that she saw before her. "Wow." She breathed, before leading Remy over to the side of the store with coloured glass. She quickly found the red and blue glasses, and examined all the different designs, before picking out 6 that she thought Tante would like. There were 3 red glasses and 3 blue glasses and all of them had playing cards and fireworks on them. She didn't know the story behind the glasses, but she knew that the way they had been painted made them look as though the sparks of the fireworks were coming from the cards. 'Perfect' she reaslised, smiling as she carried them the the counter where the assistant removed the pricetags and giftwrapped them for her.

"Finally, we done wit' de glass!" Remy cried, raising his hands in praise as the left the store and made their way back to the car. He ducked as Rogue made to slap him, being careful not to drop the glasses she was carrying as she did so. "So, now Remy get ta choose de acticity non?" He asked, wriggling his eyebrows and making her laugh as he draped and arm around her shoulders.

"That would depend on what it is." She stated firmly. "Ah'm not about to let yah lead me up some country lane so that yah cna try yah luck Swamp Rat." She told him, giving him a look that let him know that was not an option, or any of the other make out opportunities that he had in mind, smirking at the caught expression on his face.


End file.
